The necessity of self-diagnosis is not new. Before the age of the Internet and smartphones, people used books to gain medical knowledge, map symptoms to diseases, and find appropriate medications and treatment tips. With the advent of technology over the past decade, the ways to access knowledge changed drastically. Google and AI-based applications Like Online Symptom checkers have come into play.
Google’s 7% of daily queries are health-related. The wrong medical information on the Internet is a growing concern for the health care system. Based on the research, 47% of patients who use Google for self-diagnosis see at least one cancer result on the first page. This can create unnecessary panic and anxiety. Moreover, when a patient makes poor health decisions, the consequences can be life-threatening. As a result, healthcare becomes unsustainable and limited resources are wasted.
AI-based symptom checkers like AIDO by DrEHF are the game-changers in health care making it affordable, and serving as an alternative to resolvingunreliable diagnoses of google,and thereby empowering patients. With simple steps, an online symptom checker providespatients with triage and preliminary medical diagnosis by entering their medical symptoms.Additionally, it also helps in identifying possible causes of symptoms and suggesting next steps, including recommendations to a specialist or physician. There have been instances where the use of online symptom checkers turned out to be a life saver in critical conditions, where patients were not considering the illness serious. On the suggestion of a symptom checker, they acquired immediate medical care.
Studies claim that every year, 1.5 million people worldwide die from misdiagnosis.And most medical errors occur during the initial stage of examination. There are more than 20,000 health conditions and keeping the record of all is near to impossible for the human brain. AI-based online symptom checkers can process large health-related data following the algorithms and can support doctors in their decision-making and thereby decreasing the odds of misdiagnosis.
In recent years, artificial intelligence, algorithms, and big data have helped to create triage tools to make conclusions based on symptoms.The Symptom Checker is an innovative addition to digital health. They are convenient to use most of them are backed by medical teams and their database is optimized routinely.
The use of online symptom checkers has made healthcare accessible, affordable, and available 24/7, including in rural areas, and empowered patients. Patients are becoming more independent and want to take control of their health or get a preliminary diagnosis before consulting a doctor.While some still doubt whether AI can outperform humans in diagnostic capabilities, AI certainly has significant potential in diagnostic applications.
With the help of artificial intelligence, the medical world will slowly but surely fight off misdiagnosis and the problems associated with it.However, these services should not be viewed as definitive diagnostic tools but as a guide to direct users to possible conditions related to their symptoms. Consult with a real doctor will help you get a more accurate diagnosis and further treatment.