According to an article in the New York Times today by John Markoff, a Microsoft study suggests that self-diagnosis by search engine frequently leads Web searchers to conclude the worst about what ails them. The term cyberchondria emerged in 2000 - definition: the practice of leaping to dire conclusions while researching health matters online. 2 percent of all Web queries are health-related. The study was by Eric Horvitz a computer scientist with a medical degree and employee at Microsoft and Ryen W. White, a specialist in information retrieval technology. 500 Microsoft employees participated in a portion of the study.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/25/technology/internet/25symptoms.html?ref=health
If you perform a health web search and think you might suffer from "Cyberchondria", just make sure you see your doctor before you think about treatment.
Source: NY Times
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Health Web Search, Cyberchondria, See Your Doctor
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