Over
the last 20 years the development of the internet and digital medical records
has changed medicine dramatically. For
physicians, the rapid access and exchange, of important information about
patients has enabled the delivery of faster medical care than ever before. For patients and parents/caregivers, there is
an ever-growing amount information which is accessible, about nearly every
possible subject in medicine. The
difficulty is filtering the information, first in terms of topic and secondly
determining the accuracy and validity of the information. Search engines such as Google, Bing, etc…
provides the ability to pull in information at lightning speed from across the
globe and then list them numerically in order of how close the information
matches the search words. We commonly
perceive the higher a website is listed on the search engine the more
important, valid or relevant is its information to our question. However in
reality, this is not always the case.
Owners of websites can pay the search engines to raise their site to a
higher to increase their “visibility” to people using their search engine.
the last 20 years the development of the internet and digital medical records
has changed medicine dramatically. For
physicians, the rapid access and exchange, of important information about
patients has enabled the delivery of faster medical care than ever before. For patients and parents/caregivers, there is
an ever-growing amount information which is accessible, about nearly every
possible subject in medicine. The
difficulty is filtering the information, first in terms of topic and secondly
determining the accuracy and validity of the information. Search engines such as Google, Bing, etc…
provides the ability to pull in information at lightning speed from across the
globe and then list them numerically in order of how close the information
matches the search words. We commonly
perceive the higher a website is listed on the search engine the more
important, valid or relevant is its information to our question. However in
reality, this is not always the case.
Owners of websites can pay the search engines to raise their site to a
higher to increase their “visibility” to people using their search engine.
Businesses
have long known the value of marketing and that the internet provides a cheap,
rapidly-accessible, customizable method to reach millions of potential
customers. Healthcare providers and
institutions have also realized this, albeit slower, specifically that this can
be a valuable way to market themselves and their services. The quality of any information available on
the internet must be evaluated on an individual basis. Be wary of claims made by individuals or
organizations promising excellent treatment outcomes, over a short period of
time, with low recurrence rates, using simple, painless, minimally-invasive or
nonsurgical methods/procedures. Many
times these are marketing ploys and not scientifically-proven methods which are
based in any high-level medical evidence.
If the promises seem to be too good to believe, they probably are not
good options of treatment. Often these
promises play on parents/caregivers emotions, who are trying to find the best
treatment for their child.
have long known the value of marketing and that the internet provides a cheap,
rapidly-accessible, customizable method to reach millions of potential
customers. Healthcare providers and
institutions have also realized this, albeit slower, specifically that this can
be a valuable way to market themselves and their services. The quality of any information available on
the internet must be evaluated on an individual basis. Be wary of claims made by individuals or
organizations promising excellent treatment outcomes, over a short period of
time, with low recurrence rates, using simple, painless, minimally-invasive or
nonsurgical methods/procedures. Many
times these are marketing ploys and not scientifically-proven methods which are
based in any high-level medical evidence.
If the promises seem to be too good to believe, they probably are not
good options of treatment. Often these
promises play on parents/caregivers emotions, who are trying to find the best
treatment for their child.
Caveat
emptor.
emptor.
Buyer
beware.
beware.
Next
blogpost: How do I find a physician for my child with spinal deformity?
blogpost: How do I find a physician for my child with spinal deformity?