Searching symptoms online helps patients make a good diagnosis, doesn't increase anxiety, study shows

Google" and researching health issues online makes patients better at diagnosing illnesses and doesn't make them more anxious, a new study out of Harvard and Brigham and Women's Hospital shows. "Every doctor has their story about the patient who has pinky pain who thought they had cancer," said Dr. David Levine, corresponding author of the study and internist at Brigham and Women's. But Levine said that's certainly not the norm, and he loves when his patients Google their symptoms before arriving at his office, "I think it shows they're invested in what's going on." Levine and his colleagues found that study participants showed modest improvements in reaching an accurate diagnosis after looking up symptoms online and reported no increase in "cyberchondria," or anxiety about one's health associated with using the internet. Googling health symptoms has often been thought of as a no-no due to online misinformation or the potential to stoke fear in patients, but Levine said the research findings show that's not quite true.