Expansion of Online Health Self-Diagnosis Practices: new challenges for doctor-patient communication
https://doi.org/10.21453/2311-3065-2021-9-1-53-65
Abstract
The relevance of the research derives from the necessity to analyze new risks of online self-diagnosis of health conditions amidst the increase in the number of Internet requests for diagnosis and treatment of Covid-19 and identification of the first coronavirus symptoms. Tensions in society are growing due to the fact that the pace of epidemic is accelerating and the number of people infected with coronavirus is growing every day, encouraging individuals to self-diagnose in the internet, as hospital hotlines are overloaded, and doctors’ visiting hours are reduced due to a large flow of the infected. Moreover, the article examines the risks that online self-treatment entails without professional supervision and control. The analysis of modern research on what pushes individuals to online treatment and self-medication is presented in the article. The author reviews statistical data on the actual number of Yandex search queries regarding the diagnosis and treatment of coronavirus infection. At the end of the article, the author determines both the processes in the field of medicine that can be automated and the processes with a low technical potential for digitalization.
About the Author
K. V. Rakova
Moscow State University of International Relations (MGIMO-University)
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Rakova Kristina Viktorovna – post-graduate student of the Department of sociology
119571, Moscow, Vernadsky av., 76
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Review
For citations:
Rakova K.V. Expansion of Online Health Self-Diagnosis Practices: new challenges for doctor-patient communication. Communicology. 2021;9(1):53-65. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.21453/2311-3065-2021-9-1-53-65
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