New research has revealed that one in four people in the UK self diagnose illnesses rather than visit the doctor.
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Created by PushDoctor.co.uk, the report published in the UK Digital Health Report, said that 21.8% of people have shown interest to diagnose their symptoms on the internet, as they were unable to get a doctor’s appointment (11%) or because their general practitioner (GP) was not available quickly (10.8%).
According to the report, patients in the country are becoming impatient and are not interested in changing plans to accommodate appointments to see their GP.
The research also said that the internet is currently the first place people go for advice when starting to feel unwell, which is applicable for all age groups under 65 years old.
Data analysed from 61 million UK internet searches for 160 leading health issues has shown the trend for self diagnosing is increasing, which was up 19% over the last 12 months. Common health searches include back pain, diarrhoea and depression.
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By GlobalDataPushDoctor.co.uk chief medical officer Dr Adam Simon said: "The findings indicate the extent to which people are now using technology to manage their health.
"As well as health searches being on the rise, 58% of people now actively use technology to manage their health and wellbeing on a daily basis."
PushDoctor.co.uk is an NHS commissioned online service that connects GMC-registered UK general practitioners through secure video consultations.
