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Doctors are dealing with an increasing number of Kiwis who have diagnosed themselves - often incorrectly - using the internet.
It has been dubbed cyberchondria: a condition that causes people to search the internet for illnesses and treatments that relate to their symptoms.
"Certainly, patients researching their symptoms have become more common," said Dr Peter Foley, chairman of the Medical Association.
"That is not going to go away, and doctors have to accept it as something they need to be aware of and manage appropriately."
Foley said the phenomenon was making consultations more complex, as doctors often had to explain to patients why they didn't need certain tests or why a particular diagnosis wasn't correct.
Health information site everybody.co.nz is in the top 10 of lifestyle sites visited by Kiwis.
"There are plenty of disclaimers on the site to say visitors should absolutely not rely on only that though, but many people prepare themselves by viewing information before going to the doctor," said content manager Richard French.
Research in 2001 from the British Medical Association estimated around 10-15 per cent of patients had accessed some kind of information on the internet before visiting the doctor.
However, RNZCGP president Dr Jonathan Fox warned just as much misinformation as good information was available.
The flipside, Fox said, was that GPs could now direct patients to good internet sites to read after their consultation, allowing them to absorb more information about their conditions with more time.
