The internet has revolutionized many facets of our lives. Even medical check-ups are being done online instead of going to the doctors in person. People are utilising the internet to get online medical advice and have check-ups, which takes comparatively less time and is ,indeed, hassle-free. In my view, it is not a good development since there is a risk of patients falling victim to scammers, getting misdiagnosed, and having their medical history exposed to the public.
There has been a widespread embrace of online medical consultation and check-ups, as it takes less time, and is less energy-consuming. Instead of using traditional check-ups, which usually makes patients stand in long queues for long hours for mere 5-minute consultation, they go online to get the same service without having to wait in just a few minutes. Additionally, this new development has proven to be hassle-free, as people do not need to travel to a hospital, or a clinic, spending some time, energy, and money to get medical advice for minor illnesses, such as headache, toothache and back pain, but go online to get the treatment.
However, I believe that this trend causes patients some problems, as they are likely to get deceived, misdiagnosed, and have their confidential medical record exposed.
It is not always safe to get medical consultation, as nowadays there are so many cyber criminals who offer online fake medical services for a small charge. Once payment is made, a patient realizes that they have fallen victim. Another associated problem with this trend is that patients are misdiagnosed since some advice givers do not have enough medical knowledge to discern the illness. Once misdiagnosed, wrong treatment is applied, leading to other health complications. Moreover, online medical check-ups require people to provide their private details online. This intrudes confidentiality of the patient’s medical record. All in all, getting online medical therapy is not a good option.
In conclusion, despite widespread use of online medical consultation, which is considered to be hassle-free, and takes less time, there are associated problems, including leak of private medical records, misdiagnosing, and deceptions.
