Prem Ramaswami, product manager at Google. Photo: LinkedIn
Search the web about “headaches” and you will be hit by lists of causes – ranging from eye strain to brain tumours – and treatments, including options long dismissed as snake oil.
But, from this week, digital giant Google will respond to medical queries with pre-vetted fact boxes and illustrations in a bid to steer users away from websites with shonky, possibly dangerous, advice.
If you have symptoms of gonorrhea, for example, you can save yourself from some embarrassment and first talk to your smartphone via Google’s Now.
“We’ll show you typical symptoms and treatments, as well as details on how common the condition is – whether it’s critical, if it’s contagious, what ages it affects, and more,” Prem Ramaswami, Google’s product manager, said in a blog post.
“Once you get this basic info from Google, you should find it easier to do more research on other sites around the web, or know what questions to ask your doctor.”
One in 20 of Google’s 100 billion monthly searches are for health-related information..
So far, only users in the US, searching for 400 of the most common terms, such as “tonsilitis” and “measles”, will see the “carefully compiled, curated, and reviewed” health data boxes.
“An average of 11 doctors have vetted each fact, and all were then reviewed by the [US-based medical non-profit] Mayo Clinic,” Amit Singhal, Google’s vice-president in charge of search, told USA Today.
The service will expand rapidly, he added.
“When you’re a parent in India or Brazil or sub-Saharan Africa, and your child is sick and all you might have for help is your smartphone, this information might really matter.”
Stephen Parnis, vice-president of the Australian Medical Association, said Google’s efforts, no matter how thoroughly researched and checked, could never replace the expertise of a doctor.
“Very few things directly translate to individuals’ circumstances,” said Dr Parnis, who works as an emergency physician in Melbourne.
“At best, it encourages people to seek the right advice from a doctor. At worst, it can provoke panic, distress, unnecessary concern or inappropriate peace of mind because decisions about health are often clouded by emotion.”
Some critics have also raised concerns about the move’s potential to exacerbate “cyberchondria”, described in health journals as “the excessive use of internet health sites to fuel health anxiety.”
Research shows “cyberchondria” can lead to excessive Googling, mistrusting your GP and unnecessary medical testing.