This article was written on August 14, 2007 by CyberNet.
We’ve known that Google has been working on a “Health” service for quite some time now, but what we haven’t seen are screenshots. Google Blogoscoped has posted the first screenshots of what Google Health will presumably look like. They came from a prototype, so while things may change, the images give us a general idea of what Google intends to do with it.
There’s a lot of health information available these days, but Google’s Adam Bosworth says that people “need the medical information that is out there and available to be organized and made accessible to all. Health information should be easier to access and organize, especially in ways that make it as simple as possible to find the information that is most relevant to a specific patient’s needs.”
So how is it that Google intends to organize all the medical information out there? Take a look:
Notice that there is a Profile tab and a Medical contacts tab. You’ll also notice the Google Health Privacy Policy where they state the information you enter will not be shared with anyone unless given permission. Privacy will be important because if it’s used like Google intends for it to be used, essentially a patient’s entire health history including the medications they take, test results, allergies, and more could potentially be available.
Another image illustrates the auto-completion feature that is seen across all of Google Health, but in this example it’s used for conditions and symptoms. You’d just start typing your symptoms or condition, and a list of options would appear as seen below when typing in “head.”
How successful Google Health will become is largely dependent on doctors using computerized records versus the standard paper option. Under the “Services and health guide,” it’s explained that if your doctor or pharmacy offers the option to securely download medical records, you’ll be able to add your records to your health profile. The current problem though, is that the New York Times reports that only 20 percent of the population in the United States has computerized records.
Google Blogoscoped has many more screenshots for you to take a look at. While the service sounds interesting, and could potentially empower people with health information and their health care, it could take a lot of time on Google’s end to get this working as intended, and for people to latch on to it.
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