GoogleHealth

**Description:**
Google Health is a combination of a PHR (personal health record) and many of Google's features that have made Google one of the strongest search engines out there. It is "Google’s planned health information storage program. 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."[|Blogoscoped]. Just like any PHR you input things such as age, sex, current and past medications, surgeries, test results, etc. However unlike other PHRs Google Health insures accurate input of data by the consumer with it's auto-completion fields, which is lacking from most PHRs currently on the market.

Another feature that Google Health offers is the "Services and Health Guide" tab. Through this tab Google collects relevant health information targeted for you based on the information that you have entered. It pulls this information from a list of trusted medical sources, and also updates as new information is added.

"The system is also a resource for information about illnesses, treatments, drugs, health-care providers, and even community sites where patients can share experiences and rate the quality of care they got from particular physicians." [|Technology Review] This would allow its users to find the best possible path for their own care.

**Applications:**
Google Health could be applied to anyone seeking Health Care, that wants to be able to manage their information. This would be ideal for the elderly who have access to a computer. If they could track their medical progress and be aware of the best possible solutions to their ailments their would be less need for doctors visits. This solution is also fantastic for terminally ill patients that need all of their information in one place that is free especially since their medical bills are using up a hefty majority of their funds.

Doctors could also benefit by using this to practice evidence based medicine. Google Health is also a database for medical symptoms and treatments.

**Web Sources:**
[|Blogoscoped] [|Open Medicine] [|Technology Review]

**Related Terminology:**
PHR EMR Evidence based medicine

**Citations/References:**
[|Blogoscoped] [|Technology Review]

**Graphics:**