NEWS & Events
Feeling Sick at Home? Look Up Your Conditions Online
28 July 2016
More and more people are using the Internet to do research about their medical conditions, find second opinions to their doctors, or find specialists and experts for their conditions. Alyson Krueger, from Business Insider, argued that “…the Internet has made patients more empowered to make decisions about what to do next.” In the US, the trend is clear as Pew Research Center reports statistics in 2013 that as much as a third of adults has used online searches to figure out a medical condition.
This trend reflects how the Internet is a powerful tool that can provide medical information from various sources. Sometimes reading from only one source is not enough or the information covered is not as clear. Having a database or pool of information on medical conditions allows you to look up information in the private of your own home to get a better understanding of your conditions before or after you visit your doctor.
Realizing this trend, Internet giant like Google had provided alternative online channels to cater to this rising needs. Google had boosted health search engine by joining hands with a team of doctors to compile medical information online for common health conditions as reported by Phys.org. Their product manager Prem Ramaswami confirms the trend by saying that “one out of 20 searches on Google are for health-related information.” For Google, this feature is currently available only in English language and in Google search application in the US, but there are plans to develop this feature to other parts of the world.
WebMD is a website that provides health information, tools, and information support online. It has created a symptom checker to help assess your conditions according to existing symptoms. You must enter basic information about yourself, select affected area, and select from a list of symptoms.
Another website that provides similar symptom checker is Healthline. For this website, you can directly type in your symptoms or select from a list of symptoms available.
Currently, a Thai version of symptom checker or medical search engine is available as a mobile app version. DoctorMe is a Thai application to help you keep track of your health and identify common health conditions as well as suggesting basic treatments and medicine.
Reference : http://www.cnet.com
