Dr Google offers solid health info

"There are lots of rabbit holes that users can go down in terms of finding not good health information..." Google health programme manager Isobel Solaqua

A new Google product will steer Kiwis towards ‘‘high quality’’ health information and help the medical community take back control from fake or misleading advice, the company says.

‘‘Health cards’’ containing information on 900 commonly searched for conditions – including flu, asthma and diabetes – are being rolled out in New Zealand this week.

One in 20 Google searches were health related and a wide variety of health information was available, but not all was backed up by solid medical evidence, Google health programme manager Isobel Solaqua said.

‘‘There are lots of rabbit holes that users can go down in terms of finding not good health information, getting led astray by websites that might be popular but might not be rigorous medical information that their doctor would want them looking at.’’

Solaqua said the cards had been developed over ‘‘years’’ with each reviewed by at least 10 medical doctors.

‘‘We worked really hard to ensure the medical rigour so that it would be information that . . . their doctor would feel fine about.’’

Health cards appear at the top of a Google search, and cover symptoms, treatment options, and prevalence according to age for each condition.

The cards were ‘‘informational only’’ though and ‘‘absolutely’’ not designed to replace speaking to a health professional, Solaqua said.

Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners medical director and GP Dr Richard Medlicott said the clinically-based information on the cards was positive but the advice provided seemed a bit ‘‘light’’.

‘‘I just think they may want to tease out some of the risks here and be a bit more clear cut in terms of warning signs if patients are going to use this as a diagnosis.’’

The internet was a ‘‘fantastic wealth of information’’, but most people realised they would need to see a GP for a diagnosis, he said.