[ippisl]

I think you overestimate the ability to self diagnose objectively. i heard that medical students , while learning about medical conditions , start to see symptoms in themselves , and believe they have all kind of illnesses.

So collaborating with your doctor seems like a better path(especially since he has access to various tests).

[fnid2]

It's called "Medical Student Syndrome." I learned about it in psychology class because it happens there too.

[yummyfajitas]

Or, we could give patients direct access to various tests without the permission of a doctor.

[HeyLaughingBoy]

How would that help? How would you know what tests to order? How do you interpret them? How do you know that if test A has a certain result, then test B should be ordered to check for cross correlation with something else?

It's really easy to say "just order my own tests" but the reality is that it would be pointless for most people except... trained medical staff!