Google search results will tell you when to be worried about that cough
Google will now highlight health-related information for related search queries, the company announced Tuesday.
The data, which is part of Google’s Knowledge Graph, will include symptoms and treatments for various medical conditions. Users will also be able to learn how critical or contagious a condition is or the ages a certain condition typically affects. In some cases, results will also include illustrations from licensed medical illustrators.
Google worked with a team of its own doctors and the Mayo Clinic to compile and curate the medical information, which is sourced from “high-quality medical sources across the web,” according to the search giant.
The results are not intended as medical advice but rather for “information purposes only,” according to a blog post from Google product manager Prem Ramaswami. “You should always consult a healthcare professional if you have a medical concern,” Ramaswami continued. He added that one in 20 Google searches is a health-related query.
The new search feature will gradually roll out over the next few days, starting in the United States.
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