'DoctorGeorge.com': Online doctors at your fingertip

By Lim Tri Santosa

BANDUNG (JP): "Tell me, doctor. I tried this new garlic diet that another doctor gave me.

"I had to eat garlic for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Can I lose any weight or reduce bad cholesterol in my blood?"

The doctor replied, "Possibly, but you're sure to lose a lot of friends." That's the last time I met my doctor for general checkup.

It is an honest straight answer to a simple question. But how about these questions that probably intrigue our minds: My dog recently bit/nipped me, should I be worried about rabies? My baby has a bad cough and throws up after feeding. Is this normal? I feel a strong urge to urinate but when I urinate it is not with force, rather it is like a slow dripping tap. What could be the problem?

Given the choice, if you had a minor illness, would you choose to get medical advise over the Internet rather than visit your doctor? I think you would, as long as it could be used as a second opinion before, and/or after consulting your own doctor here in Indonesia.

Can the Internet be a credible medium for you to consult with your own doctor through the Internet? I would like to chat with my doctor online, but my big concern is, would I be sitting in front of my computer for an hour waiting for him to show up?

The Internet is going to transform health care, there's no doubt about it.

But as consumers, who don't have years of medical training, some may question whether we're equipped to make decisions about our health based on information we've found online.

On the other hand, isn't it time we learned more about our health, and medicine in general rather than always relying on our doctor?

The Internet isn't a panacea that will solve all our health problems, but it definitely improves your chances. You would never want to look back and feel you didn't do everything you possibly could.

Medical journals, research papers and huge international databases once available only to doctors are now just a mouse click away. Savvy consumers can even learn about a medical breakthrough before their doctor does.

The technology has bred a growing group of informed, empowered patients who sometimes want to discuss and debate options, instead of just obediently following their doctor's advice.

Knowledge is power. Patients should be stimulated and involved and be a part of the decision-making process. Even your doctor can't possibly be aware of all the medical information available on every disease.

A doctor can't stay abreast of every new development. He's inundated with medical journals from around the world. Reading them all would leave no time to see patients.

DoctorGeorge.com is an example of the future direction of Internet-enabled health care. DoctorGeorge is not about one singular personality but the brand name for a group of health care practitioners. They are a group of doctors, and health care workers based in San Mateo, California, and parts of Asia (the Philippines and China) that aim to be your family doctor on the web.

This site is a member of Health on The Net Foundation (www.hon.ch), an alliance of health websites bureaus, based in Switzerland, that develop code of conduct for reliable, safe and trustworthy health information on the Internet.

A special feature is a 24-hour live doctor consultation room where you can speak to a doctor immediately. It does not mean to take the place of visiting a real doctor but hopes to answer your questions in less time and cost. Their aim is to reduce the transactional cost and time in seeking health information and services for the most basic and common ailments and to disseminate this service globally and democratically.

Many medical sites can be too technical, busy or irritating. But this site aims instead to view health and medical care from the patients point of view and in a language that we are familiar with.

As an example you can ask the online doctor to explain the prescription medicine that you have been taking lately or any possible side effects. By the way, you even can choose the doctor's gender, between male doctors (www.doctorgeorge.com) or female doctors (www.doctorgeorgette.com) for sensitive women's questions.

They also have a clinic section where you can find a broad range of specialties so that there's more information for your ailment or condition.

Plus lifestyle and magazine sections which concentrate on several aspects of wellness. Diet and nutrition, living with cancer and womens' concerns are among the lifestyle topics offered.

DoctorGeorge.com, in its capacity as a family doctor on the net, will also be a major catalyst in merging the two market segments of patients and doctors. This site is provided for general information only, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor. The bottom line is treat the medical information we find on the internet with care and use it in conjunction with discussions with a health care professional.

The best thing is it will allow the sick and the elderly to remain at home and have immediate access to medical advise. With the increase in the population of the elderly and a decrease in health care funds available, this idea seems to benefit everyone. It's a convenient quick physician access that offers 24-hours a day, seven-days a week doctor-to-patient medical consultation, no matter where you are in the world. It's free of charge, and there's no time limit. What else are you waiting for?