Let me be clear about where I stand: Dr Google is not the enemy.

As someone who spent years in A&E encouraging patients to research their conditions online, I’ve always believed informed patients make better partners in their care. The problem isn’t that people are seeking health information online—it’s that they’re navigating an unregulated marketplace masquerading as a medical resource.

Dr Cohen highlights what those of us working at the intersection of healthcare and digital media have been witnessing: platforms optimised for attention and commerce, millions of self-styled “health providers” with undisclosed conflicts of interest, and AI chatbots directing patients to online pharmacies instead of evidence-based guidelines.

But here’s what concerns me most: we’re confusing symptoms with disease.

Yes, patients are “shopping” for easy answers. Yes, there’s a growing appetite for biohacks and quick fixes wrapped in sciencey language about dopamine, serotonin, and testosterone. But, why?

Because we’ve created healthcare systems where US patients wait nearly a year to see an obstetrician-gynaecologist. Because access barriers push desperate people toward anyone offering answers. Because when you’re struggling, a confident influencer feels more accessible than an overwhelmed healthcare system.

The solution isn’t gatekeeping information—it’s regulating the marketplace.

As someone who leads global multimedia strategy at Bayer and co-founded the Undoctored Truth Alliance, I’ve seen both sides. We have:

- Platforms that reward engagement over accuracy

- Innovation racing ahead of regulation at unprecedented speed

- Healthcare professionals watching patients make decisions based on content indistinguishable from advertising

- 71% of HCPs believing pharma should combat misinformation, yet 41% saying pharma does nothing

Dr Cohen’s work reinforces what our research at Hull York Medical School found during COVID: the medium matters, but the message marketplace matters more.

I don’t want to go back to medical paternalism. I want empowered patients with access to regulated information. I want the same standards applied to health influencers that we apply to pharmaceutical companies. I want platforms held accountable for the health content they monetise.

The internet didn’t hijack our health. We simply built the digital health ecosystem without the guardrails we’ve always demanded in physical healthcare spaces.

Question for the community: If you had to choose between unrestricted access to unregulated health information or limited access to verified sources, which creates better patient outcomes? Or is that a false choice?

I’d genuinely value your perspective—especially from those working at the coalface of this challenge.

#HealthcareInnovation #MedicalMisinformation #DigitalHealth #PatientEmpowerment #HealthTech