Should symptoms be diagnosed with or without video?
Some say symptoms checkers are enough for a diagnosis, some think differently, saying it does not qualify as a medical..
Are Symptom Checkers Enough Or Is Video Also Necessary?
Tell me what your symptoms are, and I will tell you what the ailment is likely to be. That is the basic premise of your online symptom checkers. The problem is that many diseases that require different treatment scan express themselves through the same symptoms. This is where the eye of your physician makes a difference.
What are Symptom Checkers?
Before we delve into this fascinating world of internet and tech-led diagnostic medicine, it is important to understand what symptom checkers are.
Symptom Checkers are:
· Surveys that try to establish what kind of disease or condition you might be suffering from
· They are based on questions that establish what your symptoms are
· These questionnaires are largely anonymous and cannot give you conclusive diagnoses
· You have a degree of anonymity since they do not ask for personal information
Once you answer the questions on the symptom checkers you will see a list of possible diseases or conditions you might be suffering from. These lists can be long and varied.
Take a Look at Two Symptom Checkers
To understand how these work, we used two of them. We were nifty and had a diagnosis in mind to see if the symptom checker will catch it or not. So, we worked it backwards and distilled the possible symptoms we might feel given the medical diagnosis we chose.
That medical diagnosis was hyperthyroidism, or an over active thyroid. Common symptoms for this condition include:
· Weight loss/appetite increase
· Increased sweating
· Dry eyes
· Spiking heart rates or tachycardia
The symptom checkers we used are the WebMD and the Mayo Clinic checkers. Both are excellent sources of information for the average person to understand the field of medicine further. Nevertheless, they are not the be all and end all. You should see a doctor if you are not feeling well.
Symptom Checker Results
Seeing a doctor is precisely why video is immensely superior to the symptom checkers. Keep that hyperthyroidism diagnosis in mind and take a look at the weaknesses in the results from the various symptom checkers.
We also admit that there are some conditions that are easier to diagnose than others. These surveys might be better at helping you diagnose those than a more complex condition like hyperthyroidism.
Nevertheless, we ran a small test just to see how these work. We created a subject to test these symptom checkers. That subject’s basic background data is as follows:
· 35 years old
· Male
· Generally healthy so he does not take medication on a regular basis
WebMD Symptom Checker
Starting with the WebMD symptom checker, here is what we found out:
1. [WebMD pic #1]: The checker starts with some necessary background information. This could be related to a probabilistic premise. In other words, if the survey knows your age, given the information there is about conditions and diseases by age group, it can lower or heighten the likelihood of a diagnosis right from the start.
2. [WebMD pic #2]: Then the checker asks you to list your symptoms. You might need a dictionary to understand some of the symptoms in that survey, which is another weakness in the symptom checker.
3. [WebMD pic #3]: Afterwards, you will be asked which symptom is the strongest and which medication you take on a regular basis.
4. [WebMD pic #4]: The results are in: These are the possible conditions or diseases you might be suffering from according to WebMD.
5. [WebMD pic #5]: You also get a more extensive description of the conditions that might be causing your symptoms.
6. [WebMD pic #6]: Finally, you get treatment suggestions – although you should really see the doctor in any case.
As you can see from this test, WebMD did not catch the condition we were going for.
Mayo Clinic Symptom Checker
The Mayo Clinic symptom checker did catch the diagnosis we were going for. It did so by asking fewer questions and considering fewer variables – which is interesting in itself.
Nevertheless, this is only one test on one diagnosis, and in any case, it gave us more possible conditions for the symptoms it assessed than WebMD. Think about that. You might end up being more confused than you were before.
Here are the results and how this symptom checker works so that you can understand it better:
1. [Mayo Clinic pic #1]:Unlike WebMD, you do not need your age or other background information. Mayo Clinic asks you for your symptom right away. Is this better? It might or might not be. It is certainly a simpler system.
2. [Mayo Clinic pic #2]: After you pick your symptom, you are asked to give the checker more information about that symptom, like when is it present and how does it manifest.
3. [Mayo Clinic pic #3]: Here come your possible diagnoses. The Mayo Clinic symptom checker did catch our hyperthyroidism, but the wide net it cast suggests another 4 conditions.
Doctors are Symptom Checkers with Video
We do not doubt that given the troves of medical data and technological advancements in AI, maybe one day these symptom checkers will be more accurate than doctors. In the meantime, you should not take your GP out of the picture at all.
But what about getting your doctor to be literally part of the picture? You can have a symptom checker that coupled with video can give you a more accurate assessment of what you might have. That doctor can also order more exams on the spot.
Focusing on Video First
First, let us go through the video part. Keeping in mind that hyperthyroidism diagnosis, if your doctor has enough experience, a keen eye, and high-resolution video, they might be able to catch it right away.
In some cases, hyperthyroidism is evident in how your neck looks. A swollen or lumpy neck, and even how your eyes look can be evidence of this condition, so your GP might see it right away.
Confirm a Diagnosis or Question the Hypothesis
That would prompt them to order bloodwork or even ultrasound imaging to see if what they suspect is true. Based on those, your doctor can either confirm the suspected diagnosis or suggest a different hypothesis and keep on looking for a correct diagnosis.
The best part is that throughout the process you will not need to have direct contact with your doctor. Everything is done through video.
Further Treatment
Your doctor can also refer you to a specialist or treat your diagnosis as a part of a larger, more complex set of conditions that might be affecting you all at once. This is key to maintain your health, but it also costs more than those free symptom checkers.
Advantages of Symptom Checkers
Just to be clear, we are not throwing symptom checkers under a bus. They certainly have a place within a more sophisticated diagnostic system. Moreover, they are free, so many will be inclined to use them.
That can be the spearhead of a wider data collection effort to improve other medical diagnostic tools, apart from being advantageous to the patient. Just keep in mind, if you do not feel well or if you suspect something is wrong with your health at any level, you should see a doctor!
Video Makes it Cheaper
That consult will cost you money, and that is where video can really become an advantage. A consult with a GP through a video platform is likely to be cheaper than going to the doctor in person, apart from being convenient.
Think about the following factors:
· Video reduces the cost of maintaining a clinic or an office
· That cost cutting makes the service cheaper
· It also costs you less because you do not have to interrupt what you are doing, get in the car, and drive to the doctor. Time is money!
· Scheduling might also be more flexible, since there are doctors who will be widely available in the evening or over the weekends
Use a Combination of Symptom Checkers and Video Consults
Therefore, you might be inclined to use a combination of symptom checker services and video consults. You can share the information from your symptom checker survey with your GP over video, saving your doctor sometime.
Nevertheless, using a symptom checker by itself is not recommended at this point. If you choose not to use one of these checkers and just go to a video consult, you are more likely to get a correct diagnosis, while the opposite is not true. Just keep that in mind and stay healthy!
