You're a doctor who has spent years studying in the medical field. You've passed all the necessary tests, you've gone through the necessary internship, and now almost a decade later, you're a fully-fledged doctor. You think that you're going to have patients who rely on you and need your help to cure whatever is ailing them. However, there are some patients who go to WebMD and search through their issues and pretend five minutes of reading a website is the same as years of studying in the medical field. Here are three reasons doctors hate WebMD. 3) People Think Their Problems Are Worse Than It Is People will come into a doctor with a small cough and think that they're dying of cancer. Doctors have to grind their teeth and listen to silly things like, "I have a cough, and I read it a symptom of cancer," or "My skin itches and WebMD says that means I'm dying of heart failure." Even if the doctor does all their tests to confirm they're not suffering any major issues, the patient still believes they're right. 2) People Might Not Think Their Problems Are Serious This is also a problem with WebMD, people might have a cough with other symptoms, but the website just says they're having a little cold. However, if they haven't had any testing done then they might not catch anything serious until they have an emergency. Doctor: "You have ALL the symptoms of cancer, why didn't you come into the hospital?" Patient: "WebMD said I just have a cold." Doctor: "Oh my God..." 1) Patients Think They're Right The worst part about WebMD is patients will insist they're right. Just spending a couple of minutes on the internet makes them think they know more than someone who has spent years studying the material. They might get cocky and think they know better, which can be frustrating to a doctor. Doctor: We ran all the tests and you just have a cold. Patient: No, I have gastroesophageal reflux disease. That's REALLY frustrating!
