Is the internet a reliable way to research surgeons - Washington DC - Dr. Shervin Naderi

Studies have shown that up to 40% of patients these days not only choose their surgeon, but even the procedure they're going to get done based on Internet chat rooms. With Internet chat rooms and with Google and other Internet sources, patients are much more educated today than years ago. However, while there is some camaraderie in Internet chat rooms and blogs, there's also pitfalls. A lot of patients end up living on these chat rooms, especially ones who are unhappy, ones with potential body dysmorphic disorders, and ones who end up being self proclaimed experts. And there is also misinformation being exchanged between patients on the chat rooms. So even though there's positives, there's also potential negatives, and you have to take it with a grain of salt. It's a good part of research, but you shouldn't rely purely on chat rooms and blogs and online reviews.