WEB MEDICAL LORE UNTAPPED MOST DON'T SEEK INTERNET ADVICE.Byline: Evan Pondel Staff Writer Consumers are more likely to research a new car purchase on the Internet than browse for medical advice before a visit to the doctor's office, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a recent survey by Cigna Corp. The study suggests that while sifting online for medical advice isn't difficult, many of the survey respondents find the amount of information available rather daunting daunt tr.v. daunt·ed, daunt·ing, daunts To abate the courage of; discourage. See Synonyms at dismay. [Middle English daunten, from Old French danter, from Latin . About 28 percent of approximately 1,000 adults surveyed said they used the Internet before a visit to the doctor. ``There is a lot of information out there, and encountering a credible Web site for health care information can be tough,'' said Dr. Joel Teplinsky, a Sherman Oaks-based plastic surgeon plastic surgeon A surgeon specialized in reconstruction or cosmetic enhancement of various body regions, most commonly the face–nose, chin, and cheeks, breasts and buttocks; PSs remove fat deposits through liposuction; PSs reduce scarring or disfigurement . ``So that means people need to know where to go before simply running a Google search Google is owned by Google, Inc. whose mission statement is to "organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful". The largest search engine on the web, Google receives several hundred million queries each day through its various services. .'' When consumers were asked to identify their main concerns about utilizing the Internet, 33 percent of the respondents said they would rather talk to a live person about health care issues. About 15 percent of those interviewed were concerned about the credibility of online information. ``Simply asking a consumer if they would go online for health care information isn't always going to generate a realistic response, though,'' Teplinsky said. ``That's why you need to find out the reasons someone is seeking health-related information.'' In contrast to Cigna's findings, a study conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life project last summer found that nearly two in three U.S. Internet users Internet user n → internauta m/f Internet user Internet n → internaute m/f go online for health information. But the survey found that only a quarter of Americans who seek health information online follow recommended procedures to check a Web site's sources. ``You may get lucky sometimes going to the Internet and seeking a diagnosis,'' said Dr. Vincent Riccardi, a geneticist ge·net·i·cist n. A specialist in genetics. geneticist a specialist in genetics. geneticist and internist internist /in·tern·ist/ (in-ter´nist) a specialist in internal medicine. in·ter·nist n. A physician specializing in internal medicine. based in La Crescenta. ``But the Internet is dangerous if you're bypassing a doctor to diagnose yourself'' - unless a patient is adding the Internet to his arsenal of information when a doctor's diagnosis isn't clear. |
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