Several months ago during a regular check up, Diane’s doctor prescribed a statin drug to help lower her blood cholesterol levels. Within two weeks, Diane’s skin began to break out, and she experienced debilitating pain in her hip.

Diane realized both problems could be side effects from her new prescription, so she returned to her doctor. Denying the new symptoms could be a result of the statin prescription, the doctor instead prescribed steroids for Diane to combat her new skin and pain problems. Diane took the prescribed steroids, but neither problem cleared up.

Diane’s brother suggested she go online to learn about statins and their side effects. Sure enough, Diane learned statins are notorious for a variety of problems when patients try to incorporate them into their daily regimen.

So Diane printed off the pertinent material, and returned once again to see her doctor. When he asked her if she was taking the statins as prescribed, she pulled out the computer print-outs and replied, “That’s what I want to discuss with you.”

Her doctor was furious, and threw her out of his office, threatening to call the police. No patient of his was going to eclipse his authority by using the Internet!

There are a few lessons here for all of us.

First, Diane was wise to research her new prescription, although it would have been smarter to learn about the drug as soon as it was prescribed. She would have known earlier that her symptoms were related to the statins.

Second, a smart patient knows to approach her doctor tactfully with Internet-derived knowledge. Introducing Internet research may come across as an insult, as if a few hours spent on the Internet learning about a diagnosis or treatment somehow equates to a doctor’s many years of education and research. Asking questions, without trying to hand off printed pages of information, is usually the best approach.

However, a smart patient also knows that any doctor who is threatened by the Internet is not a good partner. Diane’s confrontation compelled her to find a new doctor, a wise move.

The Internet is here to stay. Those providers who are so intimidated by patients who spend time online learning about their diagnoses and treatment options need to take a new look at the reality of today’s healthcare.

Collaboration and tact from both patients and providers is the key to a healthy relationship.

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Learn more about sharing your Internet search results with your doctor.

 © 2009 Trisha Torrey  All rights reserved.