People are increasingly depending on the internet for health related information, Best Doctors has said.
The medical information provider said one in four British women has misdiagnosed themselves on the internet, then gone on to buy the wrong medication with which to treat themselves.
It said this suggests a continuing trend for people to trust the internet over medical professionals or friends and family. It has emerged that one fifth had at some time wrongly suspected they had a serious disease.
Best Doctors recently commissioned IPSOS Mori to conduct a survey of 1,000 adults in the UK. 89% of those responding said they would go-online following diagnosis by their doctor.
Patients are using the internet both to self-diagnose but also to verify the findings of their doctor, supplementing the information they have been given and seeking alternatives.
Dominic Howard, Director, Europe commented: "Whilst we welcome individuals taking more control of their health, clearly the ability of those with no medical training to interpret correctly health information on the internet and to distinguish between what is reliable and relevant is questionable.
"In some cases it can also cause unnecessary anxiety as the phenomenon of ‘cyberchondria' grows.
"About 12% of people that come to Best Doctors do so because they were unclear about what their doctor had told them.
"This itself can be a symptom of the lack of time patients often have with their doctor but also the embarrassment and inconvenience of having to go back and seek further information face-to-face. In other cases the internet is simply a means of avoiding discussing health issues with anyone at all."
