What’s the first thing you do when you suspect an ailment? Book a visit to your GP? Be honest, you do the same thing we all do – Google it.
“I think we have to accept that that’s part and parcel of where medicine is going,” said Dr. Pixie McKenna today.
The doctor was speaking to Ray D’Arcy on RTÉ Radio 1 ahead of her new television show, You Should Really See a Doctor.
“In another decade’s time we will all be doing online diagnostics with the aid of a camera and self-testing at home,” she went on to predict.
The reason for this, apart from our ever-evolving technological capabilities, is money, said Dr. McKenna.
“Medicine can’t afford the luxury of a face-to-face consultation with a doctor all the time. There are smarter and slicker and more financially and time-efficient ways of doing it, and I think that we have to accept that a lot of us are going to be going on to Dr. Google for some help in the future.”
You Should Really See a Doctor sees Dr McKenna and Dr Phil Kieran tour Ireland with their pop-up clinic to offer on-the-spot free consultations and health checks to members of the public.
People, Dr. McKenna said, had no qualms about airing their medical issues for a TV show. Perhaps it’s the prospect of getting a free consultation. In fact, she said, “the problem was crowd control really!”
So what kind of ailments are people presenting with for all to see?
“We have loads of skin complaints: Spots and rashes and lumps and bumps. One lady in the first show had a rash I’d never seen the likes of in my life. I had to refer her on, I had no idea what it was,” Dr. McKenna said, adding that she does follow up on patients afterwards and she now knows what was ailing the woman.
So what is it that attracts viewers to a show – which is now in its second season - that sees its subjects bare all for the camera, literally warts and all?
“Understandably, the population of Ireland is small – so if you tune in you might know someone,” said Dr. McKenna, perhaps psychoanalysing our voyeuristic tendencies.
“It’s like earwigging on the GP’s surgery!”
Listen to the full interview with Dr. Pixie McKenna and Ray here:
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You Should Really See a Doctor airs on Wednesday, 8.30pm, RTÉ One.
