I’m sure that most of us, at one time or another, have turned to Google with a health question. And while there plenty of resources out there that can come up in your query, it can be tough to know what information to believe. Today Google announced that it’s going to change that.
In the coming days, Google will start displaying health information from its Knowledge Graph. That means when you search for medical information, you’ll get details on things like symptoms, treatments, how common a condition is, and in some cases you’ll even get detailed illustrations.
Google notes that it worked with a team of doctors to curate and review the information shown, and all of the details are based on knowledge from doctors and other sources. Additionally, the info has been checked out by Google’s doctors as well as physicians from the Mayo Clinic.
Obviously information that you get from Google’s Knowledge Graph shouldn’t be your go-to, end-all source for medical information. Google even warns that its results are intended to be used as advice. What the results are good for are a starting point to help you get a basic idea of what might be wrong with you when you’re ill and what steps you should take next.