Like Dr Haider Warraich, I have to admit to occasionally Googling patients I have seen. When I ask colleagues and GP friends whether they do the same, there’s a resounding « yes ».

Someone is famous or has claimed notoriety of some sort during a consultation – who wouldn’t be curious and seek to find out more? Over the years I’ve Googled the odd rock star, film-maker, writer, actor and others. GPs are sociable beings and interested in people.

The social side of people, who they are and what they do, can be important and relevant to the problem they bring to the consultation. It is unusual for me not to know what someone does as they leave my consulting room. Curiosity often gets the better of me but I feel it helps me build a rapport and a better understanding of the person.

I’m not presented with fame very often. Hackney, in east London, with its high rates of deprivation, isn’t quite Hollywood. I also work for the NHS. I think the real celebs mostly see doctors privately. Seeing someone famous, however, does create a bit of excitement in an otherwise routine day.

Having said that I don’t believe doctors in the UK Google their patients routinely. If I am puzzled about someone I’ve seen – it may be their behaviour or a life history that doesn’t seem to add up – it is not Google I turn to, but their medical records. In the NHS we have access to records for the majority of the population from when they were born, and sometimes these can be quite revealing. Doctors working in a hospital or in some other context may not have this wealth of information to hand, so may turn to Google instead.

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/08/google-patients-gp-rapport-pitfalls

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