‘Hookup’ Culture Spurs Test Results For STDs To Keep Pace
Meanwhile, consumers using online "symptom checkers" could be exposing themselves to misdiagnosis.
The Chicago Tribune:
In The Age Of Hookups, Health Test Results Are Catching Up
In the smartphone age, when romantic hookups happen in a flash, the technology itself has been blamed for an increase in sexually transmitted diseases. In May, Utah and Rhode Island health authorities made headlines by blaming hookup apps for a sharp increase in STDs, including HIV and syphilis, among young people. Whether the apps are to blame likely requires more study, but certainly the mechanisms for finding a sexual partner have changed and accelerated the process. (Mann, 7/9)
Kaiser Health News:
The App Will See You Now, But May Not Get The Diagnosis Right
There’s a warning out today for those who go online or to apps to figure out why they have an upset tummy or nagging cough or occasional chest pain. Symptom checkers, those tools that ask for information and suggest a diagnosis, are accurate only about half of the time.(Bebinger, 7/9)
