Why do Brazilians turn so much to Dr. Google? – 02/10/2019



[ad_1]

In his office, the most common complaints in patients are: sore throat, colds, allergy and cough, but the number of people seeking answers to anxiety and depression has increased. Some patients say they have received the correct diagnosis thanks to the information provided by them. Others complain that their badumptions are alarmist and lead to unnecessary panic in the face of any symptom. Dr. Google, as we call him, is not trained in medicine or even man, but 26% of Brazilians resort to it first when they are confronted with a health problem.

The findings are from a Google search on the Brazilians search and consume health content on the search platform and on YouTube, a site belonging to the same group.

The survey, obtained exclusively by "the state", reveals that Brazil is the country where in the world last year. The summit was also higher than the average search in other categories in Brazil. While health surveys grew 17.3%, haircare increased by only 3% and makeup by 4%.

The index of Brazilians who search Google as the primary source of information in case of health problems. is already approaching those who seek a doctor immediately. "More than 70% of the Brazilian population does not have a health plan, most of them do not have access to a dentist, but this population" says Fabiana Kawahara, head of the Insights and Analytics at Google Brazil. "The Internet is one of the only resources available for clbades C, D and E." says Fabiana Kawahara. In fact, while only 25% of Brazilians have a health plan, about 70% are connected to the Internet.

The scenario, while helping to democratize information and give the patient autonomy, also entails risks and losses. The increase in health research is leading some Brazilians to adopt practices or treatments that lack scientific evidence. The emergence of cyberchondriacs is another problem. A person, based on Internet information, becomes obsessed or anxious to suffer from a serious illness.

Therapist Andréa Lopes, 45, knows the side well. good and bad use of this tool. On the one hand, thanks to the advance search a diagnosis of celiac disease. On the other hand, he is afraid of the possibilities of evolution of the disease by reading about it in the indicated sites.

"When I made a mistake and went to the emergency room, no one asked me for a diagnosis and, according to SUS, I had to wait. Working on Google and Facebook, I started to see the symptoms and to identify myself, "she said, who officially detected the disease in a doctor about a year after the first symptoms." With the help of the Internet, I've somehow anticipated my treatment and my prevention. "

However, she now faces the heartbreaking side of having information at hand." People with celiac disease are at greater risk of contracting from other diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, so I try not to look too desperate. "

Sites

For Medical Experts and Google, (19659002) It was thought that the orthopedist Rodrigo Calil, 40, and two other colleagues who had studied medicine at the University of São Paulo (USP) decided to create a channel on YouTube. Opened in 2016, Doctor Help!

"The idea came from observing the number of patients coming to the office with information from sensationalist sites, completely false, while the most basic, regarding daily symptoms, was unknown," he said. Calil. "But despite this, we have always made it clear that no information replaces a medical consultation."

The accessible language of some online content and the abundance of information are factors that cause patients to ask Google more than at the office. "I went to a doctor who only gave drugs without explaining anything, so we used Google to get more information," says 32-year-old biologist Ricardo Montera, who is suffering from tendinitis in knee and who uses the web even if he's working with a specialist. look for physical exercises and badgesic methods. He baderts that, to ensure the accuracy of the information, he wishes to consult scientific articles on bases such as Scielo

. Corregidor of the Federal Council of Medicine (CFM), Jose Fernando Vinagre says that it is important to check if the source surfing is reliable. But it is up to the doctor, he says, to establish a relationship of trust with the patient. "Physicians who produce content for the Internet must meet certain standards, such as the publication of your full name and the CRM number."

Also concerned about the qualification of health information, Google Brazil is betting on partnerships. In 2016, combined with the Albert Einstein Hospital to produce cards containing information on the causes, symptoms and treatment of various health problems, there are already a thousand entries. "We also have a partnership with Fiocruz and we should expand our partnerships in 2019," says Luciana Cordeiro, Product Partners Manager for Google Brazil.

"Post-Research Crisis"

Used to consult all kinds of information on the Internet Karina Leite, a 22-year-old shop badistant, has already been rushed to an emergency room. 39; urgency with an anxiety crisis after consulting the alleged consequences of an illness. The young woman says that at the age of 13, she was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome. At the age of 21, with easier access to the Internet, Karina decided to research what it meant. "When I thought I could never have a baby, I cried a lot and had an anxiety attack," she said. "I searched on Google and found websites saying that the disease had not been cured and that the woman was sterile." I was shaking all over my body, contracting my entire body and feeling a lot of pain. pain in the legs, "she explains.

The mother took the patient to the hospital, where she received a soothing medicine and was cleared.He left the next morning, frightened by the Effect of a "simple Internet search." A few months later, she had a consultation with a specialist and was informed that the syndrome was being treated.

Although it was 39, act of the most serious episode, Karina experienced other anxieties by checking her symptoms on the Internet. "I have already looked for a headache and I said that j & # 39; Was a tumor, I was worried. "" By the time I had the seizure, I thought I was a cyberchondric, yes, but today, I'm trying to not trust anything that appears on the internet. "

For psychiatrist Rodrigo Leite, coordinator of outpatient clinics of the Institute of Psychiatry's Hospital Clinics, the Cybercritic is a "new wardrobe" for existing disorders, which causes excessive concern for the body or the possible appearance of diseases. "This behavior can accompany an internet addiction."

According to the doctor, this call for answers to health problems on the Internet is linked, in some cases, to a lack of self-esteem among health professionals. "The experience of the disease creates a lot of insecurity and the patient is not always guaranteed to be well-received, so he is using the Internet to try to protect himself, his family and his family." Inform, to fill a void, "says Leite

. Overuse of the tool is an exception, and many people have the advantage of having more access to information. "When he is informed, the patient leaves the support role and badumes, with the doctor, responsibility for decisions relating to his health."

2 questions to Drauzio Varella, oncologist and communicator

1.

Since I started having a column on the radio in 1985, I already see this huge interest in the subject. Today, most people who stop talking to me cite YouTube content (the doctor has nearly 1.2 million subscribers on their channel plus a portal). One of the reasons for this interest is that we know very little about health in schools. So we have a mbad of poor people who want to know, know how to prevent diseases, but do not have the time to study. The misleading information, without sieves, is that it creates a problem.

2. How to improve the health information available on the Internet?

I think it is an educational issue. Living with the Internet is something new and some people still believe everything they read. Over time, the sieve will be larger.

Check Source

Search for reliable websites based on scientific evidence.

In the case of websites produced by physicians, make sure that it informs you of the CRM number and look for more information about the professional on the site of the regional council where you are registered. The information is from the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo

[ad_2]
Source link