How Accurate is Medical Info on the Internet?

I have reluctantly come to the conclusion, after a long few years, that I have to get more involved in the social media aspect of modern medical life. For most of my career, this issue was never a factor. As a busy woman myself, managing a medical practice and raising a family, I barely have time to read my own email, let alone consider blogging about anything. I personally do not read anyone’s blogs or tweets or spend more than a nano second learning anything medical from the internet. But it has come to my attention (from a Medscape article on the internet “Social Media and Mobile App Guide for Ob/Gyns”) that 80% of you do look up medical information online. According to author J. Gunter who sites several studies, you usually go to the internet first, before going to your GYN. Would you be surprised to learn that even though 60% of you believe that 100% of what you read on the internet is accurate, it turns out that only about 55% really has scientific merit? I am ALWAYS surprised when woman find me on the internet and want to schedule an appointment. Are the days when new patients come to me because they have been referred by a trusted source gone? I hope not. But it looks like I’d better step up my blogging skills, because it appears that many of you are looking to connect!

Tara Allmen, MD Credentials:
– Board Certified Gynecologist and Nationally Certified Menopause Practitioner
– New York City’s Leading Expert In Menopause
– President, North American Menopause Society Foundation
– Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology
– New York City’s Top Gynecologist, 2015
– Five Star Rating From Doctor’s Choice Awards
– Five Star Rating From HealthGrades