No one likes going to the doctor, so the popularity of online medical sites should come as no surprise.
According to Gizmag, Google is making efforts to return more relevant and trustworthy search results when you type in your symptoms.
Google is now making it easier to find a diagnosis based on the symptoms you describe, offering a simpler way for people to see what might be causing their head/heart/tooth ache, and what might be the best way to handle it.
When searching for something reasonably specific like headache on one side, Google will provide a list of related conditions, potentially helping to identify whether one is suffering a regular headache, migraine, tension headache or the common cold.
These conditions are accompanied by information about options for self-treatment, as well as a friendly push in the right direction if an appointment with a real life doctor is necessary.
The database and the results it provides have been reviewed by doctors from Harvard Medical School and the Mayo Clinic to make sure there are no mistakes or misdiagnoses.
The update will be rolled out to mobile search in US English over the next few days and there are plans to expand the number of languages (and symptoms) covered by the system over time.
