Patients using Google to diagnose their symptoms are paying for unnecessary medical tests

An increasing number of patients are paying for unnecessary medical tests after using Google to research their symptoms. 

More than half of Australians use a search engine to find the answers to medical queries at least once a week, according to a MedicalDirector survey.

Two in three people use Google to self-diagnose and 72 per cent research their concerns rather than visiting a medical expert.   

Doctors have said people are misdiagnosing themselves and aren’t receiving the treatment they need.

‘I’ve seen people successfully convince themselves that a lump in their armpit was a sebaceous cyst when it was breast cancer,’  emergency physician Dr Stephen Parnis told News Corp.    

More than 50 per cent of people searched Google for information on cold and flu medicines, 18 per cent on mental health and 6 per cent on sexual health. 

Dr Panis said more people are visiting the emergency department as they determine their symptoms are more serious then they actually are. 

However, he said searching online could be beneficial in helping patients decide on questions they want to ask doctors.   

Dr Charlotte Middleton, GP and Chief Clinical Adviser at MedicalDirector said: ‘The convenience of looking up health information on Google can easily turn from a habit to a full-blown addiction.’

RACGP spokesman Dr Cameron Loy said patients became anxious after researching their symptoms. 

Dr Loy said a patient who had a headache was convinced it was a brain tumour and demanded a brain scan. 

Doctors have said people are misdiagnosing themselves and aren’t receiving the treatment they need (file image)