"Is Google really the new GP service?", " For rare diseases, just try Google", "Can Google Diagnose Illness Better Than Doctors?"
These are just some of the news headlines this morning about the study of "Google aids doctors in diagnosis" carried out by Australian doctors in Brisbane, published in the online BMJ today. The researchers identified 26 difficult cases from the New England Journal of Medicine and did a Google search on each without knowing the correct diagnoses. Google found the correct diagnosis in 15 (58 per cent) of the 26 cases! The researchers said "Our study suggests that in difficult diagnostic cases, it is often useful to 'Google' for a diagnosis. ……..Web-based search engines such as Google are becoming the latest tools in clinical medicine, and doctors in training need to become proficient in their use." UK experts said the internet was "no replacement" for doctors.
For more details about the study, click on http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6132856.stm
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