More People Are Turning to the Internet for Health Advice – But at What Cost?
Whether it’s a persistent headache, unexplained tiredness or an unusual rash, many people now reach for their phone before they seek medical advice via their GP or consultant.
Within seconds, thousands of websites, social media posts and online videos offer possible explanations for their symptoms. While having easy access to health information can help people better understand their health, it has led to a rise in self-diagnosis and growing concerns about the amount of inaccurate medical information available online.
The rise of self-diagnosis
A study conducted in Hong Kong found that the proportion of people seeking medical advice online increased from 32% in 2010 to 63% in 2020, demonstrating a significant shift towards using the internet as a first source of health information. Although this study was undertaken overseas, it reflects a wider global trend of people increasingly turning to online resources before seeking professional medical advice.
Many patients now search online for a diagnosis or explanation of their symptoms before contacting their GP or another healthcare professional. In some cases, this will help people understand medical terminology, recognise symptoms, and feel more informed when discussing their concerns with a healthcare professional.
However, that’s more through luck than judgement, as there are many more ways in which relying on searching online can make the situation worse. It should never replace a proper medical assessment, and if it delays you seeking treatment because you’ve not diagnosed yourself correctly, in the worst cases the result will be life-changing.
Many symptoms can be associated with several different conditions. What appears to be a minor problem may require urgent investigation, while symptoms that seem alarming may have a relatively simple explanation. This is why it is important to seek healthcare advice from a qualified healthcare professional.
Social media and the spread of health misinformation
Social media has become one of the fastest-growing sources of health information.
Platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube are filled with videos discussing medical conditions, symptoms and treatment options. While some content is produced by qualified healthcare professionals, much of it is created by individuals with no recognised medical training.
Personal experience is not the same as medical evidence, and relying on this information for a self-diagnosis can be dangerous.
A recent research project analysing approximately 67,000 nutrition related TikTok videos found that only around 2% were consistent with recognised public health guidance. Although the study focused specifically on nutrition content, it highlights the wider challenge of identifying reliable health information online.
With anyone able to publish health advice, it can be difficult for people to distinguish evidence-based information from opinion, anecdotal experience or misinformation.
One of the best-known examples of wellness misinformation is the case of Belle Gibson, an Australian health influencer who built a large public profile around the claim that she had survived terminal brain cancer after rejecting conventional treatment and healing herself through diet, lifestyle and alternative therapies. Through her brand, The Whole Pantry, Gibson released a successful app and cookbook, presenting herself as living proof that serious illness could be overcome naturally. The story unravelled in 2015 when it emerged that she had never had cancer, turning what had looked like an inspiring wellness narrative into one of Australia’s most notorious health misinformation scandals.
Years later, the case remains a useful warning about trusting health claims made online by people who aren’t medically qualified, particularly when those claims are intended to target people who may be frightened, vulnerable or looking for hope outside conventional medical advice.
Why health misinformation matters
Health misinformation is more than simply bad advice shared online. It can have genuine and lasting consequences for people’s physical health, mental wellbeing and the decisions they make about their healthcare.
Someone who believes inaccurate information may:
- delay seeking medical attention.
- dismiss symptoms that require urgent investigation.
- stop taking prescribed medication without medical advice.
- spend money on treatments that have little or no scientific evidence to support them; or
- experience unnecessary anxiety after convincing themselves they have a serious illness.
For some people, these decisions can result in delayed diagnosis, delayed treatment, and avoidable harm/injury.
Why accurate medical diagnosis matters
Healthcare professionals consider your symptoms, medical history, examination findings and, where appropriate, the results of investigations before reaching a diagnosis. Once the correct diagnosis has been made the correct treatment can commence.
Although online resources can provide useful background information, they cannot take account of your medical history, or conduct any examinations or tests to verify or disprove a diagnosis. Online information can absolutely support discussions with healthcare professionals, but it can’t replace them.
When a medical diagnosis is missed
While constructing an incorrect diagnosis online can have serious consequences for your health, it also carries no accountability for anyone involved. That means if things do go wrong, there’s no recourse to legal action, because unlike with medical professionals, there is no duty of care to provide you with correct information.
That means that a solicitor will be unable to help you with a medical negligence claim.
Unfortunately, mistakes can also happen with diagnoses from medical professionals. Medical negligence happens when they provide care that falls below an acceptable standard and, as a result, you, the patient, suffers avoidable harm.
Examples may include:
- Failure to diagnose a medical condition.
- Delayed diagnosis.
- Misdiagnosis.
- Failure to refer a patient for further investigations.
- Failure to act on abnormal test results.
- Providing inappropriate treatment following an incorrect diagnosis.
Not every incorrect diagnosis amounts to medical negligence. Medicine is often complex, and some conditions can be difficult to identify.
However, where a diagnosis should reasonably have been made sooner, and a patient suffers avoidable harm because of that delay, there may be grounds for a medical negligence claim.
Why does health misinformation matter in medical negligence claims?
The growing amount of health misinformation online can also have implications in medical negligence cases.
Relying on inaccurate information found online may cause delays in seeking medical advice or make patients decide not to follow recommended treatment, potentially affecting their health and the course of their illness.
However, it is important to remember that online research does not remove a healthcare professional’s responsibility to carry out an appropriate assessment, investigate symptoms properly and provide care that meets an acceptable standard.
Medical negligence claims also rely heavily on independent medical experts. These experts are expected to base their opinions on robust, evidence-based medical research rather than unsupported claims or poor-quality studies that may circulate online. Reliable expert evidence plays a crucial role in determining whether the care provided fell below the standard expected of a reasonably competent healthcare professional.
Seeking the right advice
The internet has made health information more accessible than ever before, but not everything found online is accurate.
While researching symptoms can help patients ask informed questions, it should never replace advice from a qualified healthcare professional.
As self-diagnosis becomes increasingly common, so too does the need to be cautious about misinformation and recognise the importance of obtaining an accurate medical diagnosis.
If you believe that a missed, delayed or incorrect diagnosis has caused you avoidable harm, specialist legal advice can help you understand whether you may have grounds to pursue a medical negligence claim.
Need advice about a missed or delayed diagnosis?
Our specialist medical negligence solicitors have extensive experience supporting people who have suffered harm as a result of delayed diagnosis, misdiagnosis and other avoidable medical errors.
If you would like to discuss your circumstances, our team is here to provide clear, confidential advice about your options and whether you may have grounds to bring a medical negligence claim.