Diagnosis by Google

Scientists have recently discovered that using a Google search engine can help doctors diagnose diseases in complicated cases.

A group of Australian doctors have searched for symptoms of 26 cases on Google to serve a study of the British Journal of Medicine. According to the results published in the British Medical Journal website, in these cases, up to 15 cases have the right diagnosis results.

Scientists consider Google to be a 'powerful assistant', but at the same time experts say the search engine is 'irreplaceable' of a doctor's role in real life.

Google is the most popular search engine on the web, which stores more than 3 billion article titles on medicine - and users often use this site to find health information.

In fact, although the doctors contained a huge amount of information about medicine, they still needed to seek other help when they had to treat abnormal cases.

When conducting research on each of the 26 cases, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane researchers selected keywords from 3 to 5 words long and let Google search without knowing the diagnosis. exactly.

The researchers then recorded three typical disease diagnoses and selected a search result closest to the signs. The doctors then proceeded to compare the search results obtained with the correct diagnosis in the journal. The results showed that Google correctly diagnosed more than half of the above cases.

Dr. Hangwi Tang, the leader of the research team, and a doctor for treating sleep and respiratory diseases, said that Google could be a 'helpful assistant' to diagnose conditions related to Certain symptoms and signs can be used to make search keywords.

However, doctors also insist that in order to find success, it is necessary for a user to be a 'human expert' and therefore the patient will be less successful in trying to make a diagnosis about themselves online. Internet.

Researchers added: ' This study shows that in cases of difficult diagnosis, it is better to use Google to find the diagnosis '.

But Professor Mayur Lakhani, president of the Royal College of Physicians 'Association, said:' This search engine cannot replace the role of doctors - but instead diagnoses clinical diseases. obtained from search results only plays a role in clarifying information. Moreover, this method is seen as a way to help doctors and patients '.