ALMOST HALF of Irish people have tried to diagnose a medical condition online, a new survey has found – with the cost of visiting a GP mostly to blame.

The Quinn Healthcare survey found that three-fifths of women aged 44 or under used the internet for medical diagnosis, largely in order to avoid the expense of visiting a GP.

53 per cent of females between 35-44 said they tried to use the internet to get a second medical opinion or to challenge the diagnosis already offered by a GP, while over 55 per cent of younger men said they’d prefer to consult the internet than visit a GP with an embarrassing problem.

45 per cent of respondents said they would use a phone service or webchat consultation if their GP offered one.

62 per cent of people under 44 said the price of visiting a doctor was the single biggest reason they would refer to the internet, with women more likely to opt for an online diagnosis over men, in spite of the stats about younger men opting for ‘Dr Google’.

Dr David Ward of Quinn Healthcare’s GP Helpline said that in the current climate, people needed “to make their money stretch further, even when it comes to their health”.

of the Irish Medical Organisation warned