What a Medical Website Should Provide

Posted Posted 2/14/2010 1:45:22 PM

We've all had things happen to us and gone about figuring out what it is. Some of us ask our family Doctor, some match the symptoms on WebMD or just search on Google. Sometimes we start with an idea of what we think it might be and we pick the thing that seems most likely or which is the least uncomfortable thought given the options.

There are tons of online resources to get this information, somewhat searchable, albiet mostly via Google. But what if we had a better option? What if we did the search in reverse? The ideal medical website should provide these features:

User types in or selects the symptoms they have and related info (i.e. intensity and frequency of events)
Website matches these symptoms against all known medical diagnoses
Website determines which symptoms are probably unrelated and either filters them out or returns multiple hits
Website tells user what diagnosis(es) match(es) the symptoms
Website includes how likely each diagnosis is, how many people are affected, how many people with these symptoms are affected, each as a percentage
Website informs user what tests are conducted to verify, how much they cost, and where the user can get one

This option would also help weed out the hypochondriacs who assume they have a problem and change their understanding of the symptoms to match what they find; but would unfortunately be replaced by other hypochondriacs who enter symptoms they only think they have. The website would have a disclaimer that indicates this is not a diagnosis and they should be seen by a real doctor - but it has the benefit of telling the user what kind of doctor to go to, and how important that visit is.

For example, ever see a TV commercial for a new drug that says "See your doctor if you experience a headache" or some such nonsense? Who goes to a doctor for a headache? The website would have to take into account the fact that some things don't require a doctor.

Seems to me this is a pretty obvious solution. Why hasn't anyone done it yet? Or have I just not found it yet?