Going to “DR. Google” to ask about symptoms and possible diseases is a common practice. However, searching for medical information over the internet requires a cautious and critical approach. While the internet is a vast source of knowledge, the quality and veracity of health content can vary significantly.

That is why it is essential to develop digital literacy, as well as to apply some curation criteria so that you can clear up your doubts without risking your well-being.

Safe guide to searching for medical information on the Internet

To ensure that the information you find is useful and reliable, keep in mind the following guidelines:

The United States National Library of Medicine, through its MedlinePlus service, is a primary reference. They promote themselves as “the number one source from the National Institutes of Health. It is ideal for consulting, as it has a wide variety of resources and educational materials on diseases, conditions, and wellness, in simple and easy-to-understand language.

Other reliable sources are:

In this regard, the American Association of Family Physicians (AAFP) advises using the web to formulate questions that you would ask your doctor, but never as a substitute for a consultation or formal clinical treatment.

What you should not do

To protect your health and well-being, avoid the following patterns when searching for medical information online:

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) constantly issues warnings about fraudulent products and therapies that are promoted online with claims without scientific support.

The American College of Emergency Physicians and other medical organizations have highlighted that “Google diagnoses” can lead to complacency or anxiety unnecessary, delaying professional care.

And what do I do with AI?

Artificial Intelligence, through tools such as natural language chatbots, is emerging as a new way to access information. Although promising, its use in the healthcare field introduces specific considerations that must be taken into account:

Dr. Eric Topol, founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, a prominent advocate for AI in medicine, emphasizes that these tools “are not a substitute for human expertise, but rather an instrument to augment it,” and therefore advises using it to synthesize information.

What you should not do when searching for medical information with AI

The American Medical Association (AMA) and other professional organizations have warned that diagnosis and treatment are medical acts that require human interaction and the clinical judgment of a qualified professional.

AI ethics experts, such as Dr. Kate Crawford, a senior researcher at Microsoft Research, have warned of the “risks of bias and hallucinations” in AI systems, emphasizing that they are not oracles of truth, especially in critical fields like healthcare.

Sharing personal and sensitive medical information with open generative AI tools: Data privacy is a concern. Avoid entering details of your personal medical history or specific symptoms into publicly available AI chatbots. Data entered into generic AI tools can be used to train future models, compromising your privacy.