Case in point: a relative of mine presented with three fixed, nontender, swollen posterior cervical nodes and one enormous suboccipital node. No infection, cat exposure, night sweats or fever. Possible fatigue, possible 5 lb weight loss, both unsure because he works a high stress job. Late 20s.

Google says he has Hodgkins. Except because they’re hard, he has non-Hodgkins. Or AIDS.

Since less than <1% of enlarged lymph nodes turn up malignant, he would have loved to know if he should go to the doctor quickly, or in a couple of months. The GP ran a normal CBC and referred him to an ENT, which has left him even more unsure of whether or not he's wasting the doctor's time or if there might be something serious.

When I was a kid I still remember the nurse reassuring my mother over the phone that such-and-such was unlikely to be serious and not to come in unless Y, Z and Q happened. My guess is that modern liability has destroyed that option.

A bad google diagnosis, I think, helps people that are looking for an excuse to take the time to go see a doctor.

From a traditional-role-of-doctors point of view, this is a response to the problem that many patients cannot just call their doctor in the middle of the day and ask if their symptoms are something serious. Do doctors take out-of-the-blue direct calls from patients? Or does an administrator answer the phone and schedule an appointment sometime next month?