EverAsk versus Dr. Google

Is research in Internet sufficient to prepare well for a doctor-patient consultation?

Internet research has its limits

Of course, it may well make sense to consult and collect relevant medical information in Internet before a doctor’s consultation.

However, caution is advised when doing so:

• On the one hand not all websites contain trustworthy information. To separate the wheat from the chaff, you can consult your physician. Patient organizations also publish reputable information material and can recommend reliable websites to you.
• On the other hand, based on Internet research, patients can quickly get the impression that they know what they have and which therapy or medication they need thanks to the information they find . . . Afterwards they go to the doctor and try to dictate what should be prescribed … The doctor feels he or she is not being taken seriously, which of course can lead to tension all round.

EverAsk increases conversational skills

EverAsk performs a function different to Internet research. It contributes much more to good diagnosis and therapy.

EverAsk increases your capacity to conduct the conversation on an equal footing and to actively help in decision-making.

In the case of EverAsk, the main thing is “patient empowerment”. Doctors possess the expertise that allows them to interpret symptoms, diagnose diseases and treat them effectively according to scientific methods and criteria. As a rule patients do not have this expertise – which of course does not mean they have nothing to say during doctor’s consultations. On the contrary: it is essential that their views and preferences be taken into consideration so that the best possible decisions can be made in the end.

Using EverAsk, you think about what you expect from the upcoming doctor’s consultation. You collect all the information you want to give the doctor; and you write down the questions you would like to ask. Thus, you increase your capacity to conduct the conversation on an equal footing and to actively help in decision-making.

Well prepared, you will help your doctor conduct the consultation with you in a goal-oriented manner. The treatment measures the doctor chooses will be more effective because you are able to support them with conviction.
 

EverAsk or Dr. Google? Combine both.

Because they each have a different function, Internet research and EverAsk can be combined.

Use Internet research to build up a basic knowledge. Using this knowledge you can formulate better, more precise questions in your EverAsk checklist. By asking your doctor such questions (rather than acting as if you already know everything about your illness), you improve the quality and efficiency of the consultation.