According to Pew
Internet Research, nearly 35 percent of U.S. adults turn to "him" for
answers to health concerns. And that number doubles when you consider
those who look to his less specialized brothers Google and Bing. However, they
can't turn to any of them for empathy or integrated care. They don't know
if he shares their core values. And he will never be at a their civic club or
PTA meeting.
Still, there's
much to be learned from Dr. Google’s existence.
Such as:
1.
Some
things are hard to talk about.
Many adults leverage the anonymity of the
web to search for answers to those hard to ask questions about their health.
Some of the questions are just too uncomfortable to discuss with even the closest
of friends, family or a spouse. Do you know what those hard to ask questions
are? Do you offer any sort of local, personal insight in a way that's easy
to access even without or before an appointment?
2. I can take care of myself. Maybe.
About a third of those who seek help from Dr. Google, his colleagues at WebMD, or by peeking through some other health portal, end up handling the problem on their own. That represents some risk for their well-being and frankly, your bottom line. Oh you're probably not going to turn that number around completely. But you’re in it for the sake of the patient. A connection with you might lead to an eventual appointment and could subsequently help them to identify some peripheral issue that led to their health concern. This could make a genuine difference in their health.
3. I have this friend who, no really.
Many of Dr.
Google’s inquiries are from those who are trying to learn more about an issue
that's affecting their family or friend. Some 60 percent of U.S. adults from
the Pew Internet Research piece say they’re looking to gain an understanding of
a friend or family member’s condition in an effort to provide comfort or some
other form of support.
Are you
enabling a support network with answers that don't compromise patient
confidentiality but inform those who give care at home?
Look, Dr.
Google exists because there is a need. And many of your peers agree with his
diagnosis 4 out of 10 times.
But you know
what? You can make Dr. Google and the lessons learned from this exercise work for
you. Here are two things that you can do right away.
1. Build a
website. Yes, these are still relevant. But it must address the difficult
issues and most common concerns of your patient community not just physician
profiles and office hours. If you really want to make a relevant site, enhance
it with a utility that enables interaction with you or the appropriate person
on your staff. Maybe that Nurse Practitioner who sees the first tier of
patients can now interact with others online.
2. Create
a social media presence and use it. Building is not the same as doing. Your
presence need not offer diagnosis or dispense medical advice. And it shouldn’t
be one that copies content from everyone else. However, it should share information
that is helpful to others, demonstrate your core values, and present the culture
within your practice.
Hey Doc, here’s
the best news in all of the hype about Dr. Google - patients with serious
concerns still consider doctors the main and best source of information.
Be
encouraged but not complacent. The best of both worlds would find you available
online to, if nothing else, direct patients and those who care about them
toward trustworthy resources. Do that and Dr. Google becomes just another part
of your team. He’s a health information partner. Meanwhile you tend to the 70
percent of us who say that what we want when it really matters is – you.
Want to talk about it? Find me at www.twitter.com/timbigfish
