Doctor Google – Information vs Intelligence
I find the internet to be helpful – and I know that many of my patients do as well. However, the internet has lots of information – but a paucity of actionable intelligence. My job as a physician is use my medical training to move from information to actions that are likely to produce a desired result.
I certainly could look up an online course on how to learn “Chinese.” I could pick the most expensive online tutorial and spend hours practicing. But I might end up learning Mandarin when instead I needed to learn Cantonese. (Mandarin is the official language of mainland China while Cantonese is more commonly spoken in Hong Kong.)
Assessment is required to turn information into intelligence.
Dr. Google is similar. The internet provides information, but no assessment. Assessment is required to turn information into intelligence. Assessment takes knowledge, work and skill.
Red skin after surgery? Dr. Google will confirm that red skin can be a sign of infection. But blood vessels also dilate (swell) during healing, turning the skin red…. We need knowledge, work and skill to determine if we should start an antibiotic, or sit tight.
A judgement requires the risk of being wrong.
Loose neck skin? Dr. Google will tell us that a neck lift can work wonders. Yet how can the internet make a judgement if the patient would be better off with neck liposuction or RF microneedling? A judgement requires the risk of being wrong. The internet risks nothing, so it cannot make a judgment.
Information + assessment = intelligence. Email me if you figure out where I got this formula from.
Aesthetically Yours,
Mark Domanski, MD
