A recent survey shows: Every second German now searches for symptoms and clinical pictures on "Doctor Google". Read here what you should look out for:

What should you bear in mind when researching online?

The websites usually summarize all the symptoms and list all the possible reasons for the ailment - without weighing them up. If you google headaches, you will be given causes ranging from lack of sleep to brain tumors. This quickly leads to unnecessary worry and stress. Better to limit yourself to a few and above all professional sites. It also makes sense to compare the source with other portals in order to get a "second opinion".

What can health portals really do?

According to experts, the internet is more of a supplement to prepare for a visit to a specialist. If you do your research well, you can ask the doctor more specific questions and thus increase your chances of recovery. Googling can also be helpful after a visit to the doctor to expand the information. Doctors are also interested in this: 81 percent see it as positive in principle when patients inform themselves.

What do you think of forums?

First of all, it is of course positive for patients to meet like-minded people and exchange information. However, forums are not a serious source of information, as the users are generally laypeople.

How can I tell whether the information is reliable?

The articles should not be older than two years. This is the only way to ensure that the current state of medical knowledge is taken into account. Depending on the content, the author should have appropriate qualifications and be identifiable. In addition to good sources, there are numerous sites that are pure marketing and therefore do not provide any reliable information. Skepticism is called for, for example, if there is neither an imprint nor a privacy policy on the site.