“I used the Internet during my pregnancy to find health information and now as a first time mother it helps me a lot in learning how to take care of my baby,” said Shaila John. “I can find a lot of information in English and some in my mother tongue also, which is very important.”

However, not everyone is so inclined. “I never use the Internet to look for medical information,” said Mustafa Yousif, an accountant. “I don’t have time for such research and I don’t even understand medical terms. It’s easier to visit the doctor.”

Mr. Yousif is the ideal patient for many physicians in Saudi Arabia who are wary of those they treat gathering health information online. Doctors have always been the authorities on medical knowledge, having spent years learning and training in the medical field. They view much of the medical information available online as superficial and even potentially dangerous.

“The problem with the Internet is that sometimes the material on websites is helpful and correct, but other times it’s incomplete or wrong. It is impossible for a non-medically trained individual to know what information may be harmful,” explained Dr. Abdulhamid Zayed, a dermatologist and andrologist. “When a patient consults with a physician there is always an assurance that the doctor is being helpful and providing good advice. I do agree that there are some limited uses of the Internet that are always good — such as checking drug interactions — but I never advise my patients to search for information about their conditions online. It can be very distressing for patients to read all the worst case scenarios regarding an illness and causes a lot of worry. I do want to clarify that the tools on the Internet can be very useful for physicians, especially in presenting new research and outlining issues with medication and treatments. Internet resources are essential in keeping physicians up-to-date with their medical knowledge.”

Dr. Zayed does have some valid points and for those individuals who choose to use the Internet for sourcing health information, there are a few things to keep in mind. Typing a medical topic into a search engine doesn’t bring up a list of resources in any sort of order that gives an indication of the quality of information at the site. Fraudsters and eCommerce focused websites are often the first to appear in health-related search results, especially for chronic conditions and terminal illnesses. Finding reliable, up-to-date medical information can be a challenge. For any health condition, consider starting research at MedlinePlus (). Sponsored by the US National Library of Medicine, the website draws from the Library of Medicine, NIH, other government agencies and health-related organizations. MedlinePlus features include a drug and supplement look-up, an illustrated medical encyclopedia and current health news headlines and links. Another great source is Healthfinder (), which draws on more than 1,600 government and non-profit organizations to point individuals to current health information. Some good non-governmental sites include mayoclinic.com, drugs.com, righthealth.com, doctorscorner.com, webmd.com and everydayhealth.com. Individuals should discuss any health information discovered online with a physician. Specific health situations vary greatly and what may be right for one person could be inappropriate for another.

“More and more people in the Kingdom will be using the Internet for health information,” said pharmacist Mohammad Qadri. “I think it’s good. It’s very important that we follow new medical discoveries from anywhere in the world and find the best ways to stay healthy. In Saudi Arabia, it’s not a part of the culture yet for people to be so informed about their own medical care. The Internet disturbs the traditional relationship between doctor and patient, where the doctor is the authority and the patient is compliant. But I think that people in the Kingdom will be healthier if they understand their medical conditions more by researching through the Internet. They will be convinced to comply with medical advice.”

Dr. Ratan Kasliwal, a general practitioner, agreed.

“The Internet can be very useful for medical information when used by educated individuals,” he commented. “I often direct patients to specific websites, especially when their condition can be difficult to visualize. Recently, I had a patient with plantar fasciitis — pain in the heel. I needed him to understand why he had this pain and the exercises he had to do to help cure the condition. Internet resources are excellent for such a situation.”

Dr. Kasliwal also encourages patients with chronic conditions, such as psoriasis or diabetes, to use online support groups so they don’t feel alone in facing their health issues. He believes that when patients can review information and see it in “black and white,” they may be more convinced to follow the treatment plan he has recommended. There is also the issue about the vast amounts of new medical information that becomes available each day. No practicing physician has time to review it all. But Dr. Kasliwal has seen how an individual deeply researching a specific health condition may uncover information that can be helpful in his own situation as well as be relevant for others. He is quite pleased when a patent shares such a discovery with him.

“Some physicians act as if they are the gateway to a vast treasure of trade secrets. This is not the right attitude from professionals whose duty is to heal,” said Dr. Kasliwal. “Myself and some colleagues have set up a blog at through which we answer people’s health questions free and direct them to good health resources. Better health leads to a happier life. The Internet is an incredible resource and we need to find even more ways to use what it offers in order to help people live healthier.”