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The rise of the internet has given us all a world of health information at our fingertips. Journalist Juliette Astrup looks at how researching symptoms online impacts on community practitioners.
Gone are the days when trained professionals were the sole guardians of knowledge about health. The internet has given everyone access to a wealth of information - summaries of every condition, lists of symptoms and menus of possible treatments.
It is no surprise that almost one in two (47%) of us now use 'Dr Google' before consulting our GP, according to a 2016 YouGov survey. The poll, of more than 2000 British adults, also showed that one in five members of the public (21%) has challenged their GP's diagnosis, and that half believe that their GP should always give them the prescription, treatment or referral to a specialist they request (Bradshaw, 2016).
The growth of NHS Choices, the official website of the NHS in England, reflects this mushrooming demand for online health information. According to NHS Digital figures, visits have skyrocketed, more than doubling from almost 196 million in 2012 to a peak of more than 583 million in 2015 (NHS Choices, 2017).
Enid Povey, clinical lead for NHS Choices, says: 'The way the world is now, people want to manage their own health and wellbeing. I think, more and more, digital is not an add-on - it needs to be embedded into care.'
REBALANCING ACT
The shift in the dynamic between clients and healthcare professionals is happening across the board, and is something health visitors must be prepared for in practice.
Michelle Moseley, Wales chair on the CPHVA Executive committee, and programme manager for the specialist community public health nursing programme at Cardiff University, says: 'I've been challenged on weaning practices, for example, and on vaccinations, particularly MMR. Health visitors have to be well equipped,...