Some people today prefer to get advice for medical problems and do not want to visit a doctor. Why is this? Is this a positive or a negative development?

Many individuals today would rather seek out medical advice themselves
instead
of seeing a licensed professional. In my opinion,
this
is a result of online convenience and it is a positive development on the whole. The main cause of
this
transition is the proliferation of information available on the internet. In the past, an ailing individual had little recourse other than to visit a doctor for tests. Now, there are a variety of question and answer websites as well as diagnosis ones that are free of cost and faster than a trip to a hospital. The slight conveniences of saving some money, time, and effort may not seem decisive, but mass behaviour is often driven by marginal advantages.
For instance
, posting a question to a forum
such
as Reddit.com where qualified professions may provide free consultation is a powerful incentive to avoid a costly and time-consuming consultation with an experienced doctor. Though there are risks associated with misdiagnosis, seeking advice online is generally more reliable. Doctors vary in their quality and numerous studies in recent years support the counter-intuitive conclusion that websites actually provide more trustworthy information.
This
is a result of the accumulation of many years’ worth of data and the standardizing of detection, prognosis, and treatment.
For example
, the website WebMD.com allows users to search for their symptoms online, discover a range of possible causes and
then
decide themselves on the best path forward.
This
may include a visit to a hospital if
further
tests are required that can only be conducted in person, but at least the patient has saved time and money at the initial stage of diagnosis. In conclusion, fewer people today visit doctors because there are cheap, convenient alternatives online and
this
is largely positive. There are risks that must be guarded against but
this
change cannot be reversed.
Submitted by chhinajot99 on

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