Google is testing video chat with doctors

Virtual Consultation: Google tests video chat with doctors

14/10/2014

Headache, backache, earache: When you google for illness symptoms in Germany, you usually end up on health portals. In the US, however, Internet users can now experience a surprise: They are offered by the search engine a video chat with a doctor.

Anxiety states through self-diagnosis
Constipation, sore throat, abdominal pain: For almost all symptoms of disease can be found on the Internet search results. Often a corresponding self-diagnosis leaves the Internet users with anxiety states of a supposedly dangerous illness back. In the meantime, there is even a word made up of cyber and hypochondria: cyberchondria. Google now seems to open a way out of the dilemma, at least in the US: There, search engine users are to be offered a video chat with a doctor before they treat themselves.

Virtual office hours in test mode
These virtual office hours, which are currently completed in a limited test run, work as follows: If you look at Google for symptoms of typical health problems, you get in addition to the classic results and an infobox with more detailed information and hints. In addition, in some cases, a link with video camera icon appears: „Talk to a doctor immediately“ on. This link leads to a video chat with medical staff giving health tips via webcam.

Internet users find new service by accident
In the search for „knee pain“ Reddit user jasonahoule happened to stumble over the new feature, as various media report. Google explains there: „Based on your query, we suspect that you want to understand a disease. Here you can find health experts with whom you can have a video consultation. Within this limited trial period, Google will pay for all clinic hours.“ According to the report, the new system is a special application of Google's expert pool „helpout“. In this web service laymen are brought together with experts who provide their services there for a fee.

Legal obstacles in Germany
In „Helpouts“ Doctors should also offer their services. However, the directory is currently empty, as the magazine writes. The US company has not yet disclosed any data on the previous use of the virtual office hours. In Germany, such a service would probably stand in the way of considerable legal obstacles. So it is forbidden for doctors in this country according to the professional code, a treatment „exclusively via print and communication media“ perform. In addition, a purely virtual diagnosis should only make sense for mild disease symptoms, as a „Internet Doctor“ Do not perform a physical examination, a blood test, or device-based examination such as x-rays or computed tomography. (Ad)