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by bbrodriguez 2385 days ago
I recently had an elevated D-Dimer level in my blood lab which indicates a clot of some sort. I remember sitting in the doctor’s office while my primary care doctor was reading the lab results. He literally started Googling “primary causes of D-Dimer elevation” and clicked on the link to a WebMD documentation on D-Dimer levels. That’s when I realized that’s their StackOverflow. Combined with their existing training, I assume WebMD helps them make better judgement calls (definitely compared to a lay person self-diagnosing themselves). He then said, “well, none of the top causes really apply to your situation: you didn’t have a surgery recently and it’s impossible for you to get pregnant as a guy”.

I was consequently referred to a hematologist.
4 comments
vo2maxer 2385 days ago
Some resources Doctors use: Medscape [1] which is owned by WebMD; Sources like MPR [2] for handy drug information and The Medical Letter [3] for in-depth medication reviews; UpToDate [4]; various journals depending on specialty, The New England Journal of Medicine being one of the most prestigious [5]; the Sanford Guide for infectious diseases [6].

[1] https://www.medscape.com/

[2] https://www.empr.com/

[3] https://secure.medicalletter.org/

[4] https://www.uptodate.com/home

[5] https://www.nejm.org/

[6] https://www.sanfordguide.com/

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skwb 2385 days ago
Almost, but not quite right. Usually doctors and medical professionals use reference guides like Merk Drug Manual and Up To Date. They essentially fill in the gap somewhere between review articles (which can be a bit too specifically focused) and medical textbooks (which can be a bit overly broad in how they describe topics). These guides often provide the "typical" routine, but is then augmented by a physicians judgement.
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SkyPuncher 2385 days ago
My wife is a resident.

She'll often does similar to verify she's not missing something obvious. In most cases, WebMD is simply agreeing with her pre-existing knowledge. Occasionally, it will present some other information - which she will research further to verify accuracy.

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Medicalidiot 2385 days ago
I hope that your physician didn't use WebMD. There are significantly better resources that are heavily vetted whereas WebMD is for the lay person.
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