The diagnosis from the Internet often borders on botch
Anyone who believes that diseases would can be determined with a few clicks of symptom checkers on Internet portals, can experience a big surprise: Two out of three diagnoses are wrong.
The Symptom Checker from
Diagnosis Finder will clarify whether the user wait or immediately to the doctor.
Diagnosis Finder will clarify whether the user wait or immediately to the doctor.
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Photo: The World
It is a dream: the doctor is in stock, the investigation takes a few minutes, a diagnosis there is guaranteed. And it does not matter if it's late at night or on weekends. Health portals offer many years of so-called symptom checker, for not even a staff member is required. The programs take the users' complaints, sometimes ask from a few facts and then explain might be suffering from what disease the person seeking advice. Could. How reliable is this information?
WERBUNG
Dozens of online portals promise health surfers rapid medical diagnosis. But who relies on this information, even risking his life. An international study has analyzed the quality of 23 online symptom checkers.
The result is alarming: only every third diagnosis is correct. And sometimes even an urgently needed emergency room is not recommended by the portals. This confidence is high in health information on the Internet and Apps: According to a recent survey conducted by the polling institute YouGov in this country believes one in six, health apps could replace the doctor's visit. For minor illnesses each Third would be well advised by the doctor over the net. "Especially in the discussion to long waits in doctors' offices is the potential of health apps that offer contact with a doctor, great," says Holger Geissler of YouGov.
Reddened skin? Boredom? Osteoarthritis!
NetDoktor , apotheken.de , Onmeda , pharmacy Umschau , was-fehlt-mir.net or enpevita are the best known German health portals that offer a symptom checker. They all also offer smartphone and tablet apps. In the self-test, the author of all checkers wanted to know if your simulated osteoarthritis recognize.In enpevita example, several symptoms were selected - among other "boredom".Chose the author with "What I lack" knee pain and reddened skin of her next to some other possible diagnoses a medial collateral ligament tear and Heller were skin cancer presents - the closer to the combination of symptoms osteoarthritisbut less likely.
Physicians vary in symptom checkers and Co. between skepticism and composure: "In principle I find good deals that help people to deal with their health," says Urs-Vito Albrecht from Peter L. Reichertz Institute of Medical computer science in Hanover , "However, you must not confuse the user or a false sense of security." But he wishes that would often draw attention on weaknesses: "The providers should transparently what the service is intended and most importantly, what it can not afford." Then the user can decide how to deal with the information.
Symptom checkers missing education, fears, desires
Albrechts review: "At present, the systems do not consider sufficiently the variety of human communication." The rudimentary and abstract questioning, usually without structure and check for meaningfulness of responses should be reconsidered. His desire checker: a people-centered system that not only biophysiological aspects, such as visual and hearing, touch, motor skills of healthy and sick people considered, but also psychological - as his communication skills, education, fears and desires. Until that are developed, he recommends that basically deal the users of checkers and other health facilities in the network critical look at the content, try their sense and questioning: Do I understand what it says? As for me that? Can this be true, what does it say? If the source is trustworthy? And If I find in different sources, the same results?
Who wants to rely more on the advice of experts in the search for a good health app, finds a corresponding checklist at the Initiative Prevention Partner. Ursula Kramer and her colleagues have tested more than 300 healthcare apps on criteria such as transparency, data protection and funding sources . The Techniker Krankenkasse provides an overview of how a health app should be selected .
Sometimes not recognized visit to the emergency
A comprehensive scientific study on the quality of German programming does not yet exist. But US researchers led by Hannah L. Semi Gran from Harvard Medical School in Boston have 23 Symptom Checker in the USA, Great Britain, Poland and the Netherlands examined . They selected 45 diseases, which should be recognized by the electronic auxiliary physicians. In 15 of these diseases, it would urgently required an emergency room at the nearest hospital, 15 more would promptly see a doctor to visit. The remaining 15 case studies require a doctor visit.
Of the 770 researchers diagnoses and 532 recommendations were evaluated.The results show: Only every third diagnosis of symptom checker was right. Only in every second case was the correct diagnosis in the top three proposals. Some online tools did not even ask for age or gender of the person seeking advice.Amazingly, the results of these portals were no worse than in the "virtual colleague".
Real doctors are estimating According to researchers properly in 85 to 90 percent of cases. And so the best thing about the online symptom checkers that they give a rule by announcing their diagnosis nor the tip: "Find a doctor." But the downside is that the seating in the waiting room is not necessary in two out of three cases.
Tip for doctor's visit is "honest"
The Council for the doctor's visit is a protection against liability for Urs-Vito Albrecht. But he referred to him as "honest". "Communication is complex, notably on health issues, which depend on the empathy and question art of the physician," said Albrecht. Patients would not mention some relevant talking to the doctor because you do not get a possible connection with the Health Board to mind. Even facial expressions, gestures and articulation can a doctor give important clues, which could be the cause of Wehwehchens search.
That the diagnoses in the study were not always correct, is not the core problem."First, it is irrelevant whether the person concerned has typhus or meningitis", the US researchers write in their study. Dramatically, however, that only 80 percent of the tests emergencies recognized as such. Nevertheless, the researchers are convinced: "The use of symptom-checkers will rise." They emphasize that health portals that specialize in specific areas such as orthopedics or otolaryngology, are more accurate in the diagnosis. And that should not be any different with German offerings.
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