It was only last week that I was debating the role of Google for parents. What about Google for doctors?
According to a study published this week in the British Medical Journal, Google can help doctors diagnose tricky cases. The researchers from Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane took 26 cases and Googled three to five search terms from each case. The researchers who were blinded to the diagnosis recorded the three highest ranking diagnoses and chose the diagnosis which seemed most relevant. The Google searches identified the proper diagnosis in just over half of the cases.
Columnist Andrew Orloski at The Register keeps it real and suggests that the Princess Alexandra Hospital “is a place to avoid if you value your health.”