Using Dr. Google? Here’s How to Discuss Online Research with Your Doctor
- Ashley Duggan, PhD., professor of health communication at Boston College who specializes in human communication in healthcare
- Deborah Lauridsen, MD, board-certified family medicine physician at Orlando Health
- Marie Haverfield, PhD., associate professor in communication studies at San José State University
This shouldn’t stop us from sharing our web searches with our providers. So, if we are hoping to have a productive discussion with them about what we found online, how can we do so? Ahead, experts answer this question and share their tips for how to talk to doctors about your Internet research, and what to do if they continue to be dismissive.
What do doctors think when I bring them my research?
“Doctors in general appreciate it when their patients take an active interest in their health and do research, but certainly the right kind of research is necessary,” says Deborah Lauridsen, MD, a board-certified family medicine physician at Orlando Health. “I have a phrase I say to my patients a lot, which is ‘knowledge is power’. I really do believe that. It helps patients take a proactive role in their care, and it leads to better conversations with their doctor.”
Bringing your research to your doctor for the purpose of collaboration is the ideal scenario, experts say. Why? For every reliable information source, there are several spreading health misinformation. If you’re not sifting through it with expert guidance, “this can lead to high levels of stress and anxiety and create fear and confusion,” explains Dr. Lauridsen.
According to Dr. Lauridsen, doctors are often wary that online material contains health misinformation that hasn’t been rigorously fact-checked. And even if a sound scientific paper is used to back up a blogger’s recommendation, doctors understand that in medicine, a treatment that may be helpful for, say, 51% of the adult population, may not be suitable for the individual sitting before them, explains Ashley Duggan, PhD., a professor of health communication at Boston College.
Doctors tend to be hesitant to jump the gun, so to speak, because their minds are always critically scanning the science, while looking at how it may or may apply to their particular patient’s situation and condition. If they do this for sound scientific literature, how much more for potentially unvetted online information?
Having to unpack all of this in a single consult can be tricky. This is especially true when a patient is adamant that what they’ve found is absolutely valid and irrefutable. “The doctor may need to take the time to try to walk backwards from that and explain, ‘this is inaccurate, and here's why that's inaccurate’,” says Marie Haverfield, PhD., an associate professor in communication studies at San José State University. There may have been some crucial information that the doctor wanted to cover with the patient during the consult, but now a chunk of that time has to be allocated to tackling health misinformation. Be warned: Doctors may also feel frustrated and distrusted when patients use the Internet to self-treat or self-diagnose.
How to talk to your doctor about the info you’ve found
Approach and intention matters. Are we bringing the info while also hoping to learn what the doctor advises? Or are we coming into the conversation with an agenda to convince the provider that we’re right and they’re wrong? The first approach is more likely to help you foster a collaborative partnership with your provider.
Duggan says it’s important to remember that “doctors are experts in biomedicine, and patients are experts in their own experiences and world.” This means that both parties bring something of value to the table, and are equally deserving of being heard and considered.
Mention your research in the form of a question that invites your doctor’s perspective, experts advise. Instead of, "I found this online and want you to prescribe it for me," try, "my experience is X, and I’m wondering about this article I found online. Could we talk about whether it might be right for me?"
If you are someone who is apprehensive about medical science, and a treatment your doctor suggests is something that raised concerns for you during your research, the same rule applies. State your point in a way that invites your doctor’s partnership. For example, you might say, "I've had experiences where changing my behavior was effective for managing X disease or condition, and I'd like to try addressing the symptoms by behavior change first, if you're willing to work with me on some before we try any prescriptions."
Not only are you able to share your concerns with your provider, you invite them to be a collaborator and show that you value their input, which hopefully leads to a more productive conversation, says Dr. Lauridsen.
Express why the information matters to you
Good doctors are highly aware that their patients are the experts of their own experiences, and are invested in learning about each patient’s personal circumstances. After all, this informs the decisions they make regarding the patient’s care. So, something which can invite a provider to delve into a piece of research you found is by explaining the reason why you’re bringing it to them, advises Haverfield.
Describe which part of the information feels important to you, says Dr. Duggan. Doing this “opens up that opportunity for building trust and rapport and establishing that relationship [with your provider], if it's not already established,” adds Haverfield.
Ask your doctor where you can find reliable information
When you come into a consult armed with knowledge from reputable online sources, it is more likely to make the conversation with your doctor go more smoothly. So, why not ask your doctor which websites they recommend?
Dr. Lauridsen, for example, suggests the following to her patients:
- Familydoctor.org: Cohesive summaries on medical conditions.
- U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: General information about medical screenings and tests you may need across different ages.
What to do if your doctor is being dismissive of concerns
If you sense your doctor is being defensive or dismissive, consider taking a friend or family member to accompany you at the next visit. Not to be combative toward the physician, of course, but the presence of an additional voice “almost increases the urgency of the matter,” says Dr. Lauridsen.
If this doesn’t work, and you feel they are consistently ignoring what you have to say, Dr. Lauridsen suggests finding another provider. Calmly exit the consultation and get a second opinion. Check the policy of the practice about whether you can see a different provider within the same practice, and find a new one if need be. You may need to scroll through physician reviews online, speak to friends and family, and test out a couple of doctors before finding one who has the interest and capacity to tease out your online research together with you, says Haverfield.
You can also ask your doctor to refer you to a specialist. It’s not an insulting thing to do. Providers sometimes do just refer patients to specialists because they have more capacity to address specific kinds of questions or conditions.
The bottom line
For the most part, doctors want to collaborate with their patients in making decisions for their care. When patients bring their online research to their doctor in a way that invites the doctor’s expert input, it opens the door for a more productive discussion. In saying that, some doctors may not be open to doing this in their consultations. But there are certainly other providers who will.
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