You might be asking yourself what in the world do health
care have to do with each other? In this article written for the New York Times
blog section: Bits the two things come together. The article is titled Am I
Sick? Google Has a Doctor Waiting on Video. We are all guilty of googling our
symptoms or a disease we hear that about. This is one step up from that, Google
"helpouts" is a program that can connect you with an expert and video
chat with them. The medical aspect is a work in progress of obtaining doctors
with appropriate credentials to be available for questions.
Beyond this Google has launched itself into the health care
world, it is actually one of its largest side projects. According to the NY
Times blog they are working on developing a contact lens that monitors glucose
levels. Ben Schachter had this to say about Google and its ventures into other
areas, "When you’re as big as Google is, there are only so many other
markets that matter, and health care is one.”
This idea of technology being used in medicine is not a new
one. According to Jonathan Linkous at the American Telemedicine Association
says that, “This year, between 800,000 and one million consultations will be
done over the Internet directly to consumers in the United States, so clearly
customers want this.”
Even new technologies such as Apple IPhones and Androids are
joining in on being means to which someone can care for their health using
different apps. The technology in medicine is continually expanding, and in
many ways which we wouldn’t imagine. How do you feel about Google joining the
health care world? Is this a logical move for them and would you feel
comfortable using a Google “helpout” to talk to a doctor?
I think Google produces a lot of great products and services whether that's Google Drive, Google Chrome, or Google Fiber. I'm sure their overall budget is massive, especially their Research & Development budget. The healthcare industry is an enormous one, but also a profitable one. The Internet industry has also changed the way people interact with one another. As you mentioned, we Google certain viruses, our symptoms, and every other thing that comes to our mind. Google is so big, but I can't say I'm surprised.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is important for any organization or person to think about health care and how to make it better. I think it is one of those very important areas of business that needs all the help it can get in terms of innovation and contribution to more efficient and effective processes. Therefore, I think that a live chat with a doctor is a great idea at least to try out and I would feel comfortable partaking in this type of visit myself. It's a very logical move on Google's part because, there is a lot of potential money to be made in the healthcare market. We would have to trust the intentions of Google and hope that there is also some goodwill in their plans.
ReplyDeleteI think that is is a very effective way to use technology because most people do not have time to go to the doctor when they are getting sick. This will allow people to find out quickly if what they are going through is actually a big deal and should be concerned about it or not.
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