Letter

Use of Google as a diagnostic aid

BMJ 2006; 333 doi: 10.1136/bmj.39058.709537.3A (Published 14 December 2006)
Cite this as: BMJ 2006;333:1270.3

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Authors' reply to responses

  1. Hangwi Tang, respiratory and sleep physician (hangwitang@yahoo.com),
  2. Jennifer H K Ng, consultant rheumatologist
  1. 1Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, QLD 4102, Australia

    A common misinterpretation of our paper in the lay press was that doctors and patients could magically become diagnosticians simply by using web search engines.1 The art of diagnostic reasoning is difficult, and doctors become competent at it only after years of training and seeing patients.2

    Our intended message was that in cases of “mystery illnesses,” a web search may be fruitful in finding articles that may suggest …

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