What’s that rash? Put some thought into asking Google for medical help
[May 01, 2025]
By TOM MURPHY
Dr. Google is often on call for worried patients, but it may not give
the best advice.
Doctors say internet searches for medical information should be done
cautiously, especially with artificial intelligence playing a growing
role.
Information from the right websites can teach patients about symptoms
and prepare them for a doctor’s visit. But a poorly done search might
inflame anxiety well before someone reaches the waiting room. It’s
important to know the source of the information you find and to avoid
trying to diagnose your health issue.
Here are questions to keep in mind if you seek medical help online.
What’s your source?
When you do a search, don’t automatically click the first link. It may
not contain the best answers.
Some companies pay to have their websites listed at the top of a results
page. Those links may be listed as sponsored.
Scroll for results that come from a source you can trust for medical
information. That can include big health systems like the Mayo Clinic or
sites run by government agencies like the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention.
“We've gotten so used to clicking on that first link,” says John Grohol,
a psychologist who specializes in online behavior. “For your health
information, especially when it is personal, you want to think about
it.”
Should I use AI?
That depends on what it tells you.
More people are using artificial intelligence to get quick answers
pulled from a variety of internet sources. Some searches also will
generate an AI summary at the top of the results page.
But an AI answer may not say where it got the information. That makes it
hard to judge credibility.
AI also can be prone to “ hallucinations,” an industry term for issues
that cause the technology to make stuff up. Be especially wary of this
if no source is cited.
What should I ask?
How you phrase a question plays a big role in the results you see.
Doctors say patients should search for information based on symptoms,
not an expected diagnosis.
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A health-related query on Google is displayed on a computer screen
in New York on Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Patrick Sison)
“You’ve got to ask at the very beginning the right questions,” said Dr.
Eric Boose of the Cleveland Clinic.
That means asking, “What could cause a lump to form under my skin?”
instead of “Is the lump under my skin cancer?”
Focusing on a diagnosis means you may miss other explanations,
especially if you just click the first few links listed in the results.
For some issues, you should skip the search altogether. If you are
having chest pains, experiencing dizziness of showing signs of a stroke,
seek help immediately.
“You don’t want to delay something that should be treated within a
certain amount of time,” said Dr. Olivier Gherardi, medical director of
Brown University Health Urgent Care.
Can the internet diagnose a problem?
No. Leave that to the real doctors who are trained to ask questions that
lead to a diagnosis.
Blood in your urine could mean cancer. It also might be caused by kidney
stones or an infection.
Unexplained weight loss also could be a sign of cancer. Or it could
reflect an overactive thyroid or a new job that causes you to move
around more.
Some testing and a visit with a doctor who knows your medical history
may be the best medicine in these situations.
“There are a lot of symptoms that overlap between minor conditions and
major medical problems,” said Dr. Sarah Sams, a board member with the
American Academy of Family Physicians.
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