Internet health advice warning

The fears of patients receiving inaccurate guidance via the web have prompted a call from medical students for regulation of health websites.

A British Medical Association (BMA) conference was debating the issue on Saturday, alongside a range of other concerns facing those training to become doctors in coming years.

Other issues occupying the minds of medical students and up for debate include random drug and alcohol testing of doctors and regulation of the medical profession in the wake of the Harold Shipman murder case.

Emma Britton, a final year student at Guy's and St Thomas's medical school in London, told BBC News Online: "It is inevitable that patients will refer more and more to the internet. We have to accept that is a good thing, but on the other hand inform them that there are potential problems.

"I have had first hand experience of a patient coming in with inaccurate information - the doctor has to turn around the information the patient has assimilated and taken as true."

Untrue

The patient in question had a gastro-intestinal complaint and had read on the internet that there was a high risk of developing potentially fatal complications, which was untrue.

Ms Britton said: "The information does need to be regulated, ideally by doctors, but realistically it is a big job. Maybe there needs to be one site that people will know is accurate."

Helena Mennell, a fellow student at St Guy's and St Thomas's, was calling for random drug testing of doctors for drugs and alcohol.

She said: "Doctors assume a role of responsibility in society that carries certain duties to patients.

"If you are under the influence of any kind of alcohol or mind altering drugs, you are an increased risk to your patients."

She said some current and future doctors would oppose the move on civil liberty grounds and that she expected opposition to be greater among older members of the profession.