Final answer:
Doctors may worry that reliance on internet for healthcare decisions could lead to misinformation, self-diagnosis, and misguided treatment choices, potentially causing harm or anxiety to patients.
Step-by-step explanation:
Doctors might be concerned that 38 percent of people using the internet to influence their decision to see a doctor could lead to misinformation and self-diagnosis that may not match the clinical picture, potentially resulting in delayed or inappropriate care.
The internet is a vast repository of information with varying degrees of accuracy. Self-diagnosis can be risky because symptoms can be indicative of a wide range of conditions, some of which are serious or require immediate medical attention.
Moreover, online information may not always be up-to-date or peer-reviewed, which can lead to people making health decisions based on outdated or incorrect data. This reliance on the internet may also contribute to increased anxiety or misjudgment of the severity of symptoms, potentially causing people to either rush to the emergency room for minor issues or conversely, ignore serious symptoms. Healthcare decisions should ideally involve consultations with qualified professionals who can provide personalized advice and treatment options.