Medical facts will easily be pulled directly from Google Inc.’s (NASDAQ:GOOG) search results now.
Google, staying true to its nature, is adding more and more information to its search engine and this time it’s all medical related. The internet giant is set to add medical information to its Knowledge Graph that supports instant search results on Google and is the driving force behind Google’s Now app.
With the help of this new feature users will be able to get direct answers to their medical related questions, which means they will not have to click on any links to proceed further. This will be similar to Google’s searches related to word definitions where a user enters a word and gets the definition without having to click on any link within the search results; you can also get the same response for big sports event and information about well known people.
The main reason for this quick response to medical questions is the number of queries the search engine gets on a daily basis – 1 out of every 20 queries on Google is related to health.
It seems Google is taking special interest in everything related to health these days; the company is expanding into this area with its Google Fit and it is believed this new feature is a part of that expansion.
With this step, Google has given itself quite a challenge because definitions and sporting schedules and news are easier to handle, but with medical facts and data the search engine will have to be accurate and right ten out of ten times; any errors or wrong information can bring Google’s credibility as an authentic information provider into question. Sure there are all types of data on the search engine, authentic and fake, but this feature will be handled by Google itself so it has to be correct.
According to reliable sources Google is collaborating with Mayo Clinic doctors to get its data right; it is believed that every medical fact will be published after being checked by 11 different doctors or physicians, on average.
Another issue that Google will have to face is the strictness with which medical advice gets regulated within the US; there is every possibility that this new features will be closely monitored by the relevant authorities and government bodies.
Information related to medical searches on Google will first be made available with Google’s US Search and then will be extended to regions outside of the US later. Initially the search engine will provide information regarding 400 medical issues and conditions.
Health is a very famous topic on the internet; many website owners opt for this category because of the potential it holds in terms of traffic; it will be interesting to see if this feature will hurt these websites in any way by becoming their direct competitor. If Google started to provide every medical fact then who would want to visit websites that may or may not be authentic.
Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) says that the new feature will not be monetized directly and will focus on providing authentic information.
