It’s late summer 2020. Anecdotally, the vast majority of people I know all look for answers by first searching online; decisions regarding their next electronics purchase all the way to medical information can be readily found by doing a search.
As a physician in 2020, I am steadfast in my belief that doctors should do as much as we can in order to disseminate medically accurate information to the general public. It’s easy to see “medical advice” from less-than-reliable sources online. And while I also argue that patients should always first seek the advice of their physician in-person (or tele-visit), we physicians can also do our part online and educate the general public about common topics in a way that’s easily accessible by people from home. The volume of material one is able to write and publish online is proportional to effort, of course, but even a few well-received data points have the potential to help countless people.
Photo by Joshua Earle.