We all know what it’s like. Pain in the arm, pain in the leg, pain in the head and then panic. Oh no, something is wrong. I just know it is. Years ago, you would have to make an appointment with the doctor, go to the doctor, wait, wait, wait, see the doctor and finally get told you are just a hypochondriac. Then of course came Google. Yep, no matter what time of the day (or night) you can log-on and simply type into Google your ailments and receive a wealth of sites and information to digest and ease your concerns. But that was like sooo 2013. Now it seems we have Dr Google.
Yes, folks. now if you have any health concerns (big or small) and would like a basic form of consultation then Google is here to help. A very new feature has been reported by a user on Reddit which suggests Google is offering direct chats with medical professionals. When searching for certain health issues (in the reddit case it was ‘knee pain’) in addition to the normal list of sites there is also a new ‘Talk with a doctor now‘ feature. You can see in the image below that the feature is listed as the first result on the page and in blue so its quite obvious to see. It is assumed if pressed, you will automatically be connected to an online doctor who will be able to help or offer some advice with your problem or issue.
It is highly likely that this new trial feature is an extension of Google’s Helpouts feature which was launched last year. Google Helpouts, in brief is the opportunity to have a Hangout conversation with industry professionals. It is worth noting that although Helpouts is a paid service it is being reported that the new Google health feature is free while the service is being trialled. It is also worth noting that as this is a trial service not everyone is getting the opportunity to give it a try. I for one have tried and don’t seem to be prompted to chat. If you want to see if you have the feature or do want to chat to someone who might be able to help with any health issues then search on Google just like you would normally. If you are part of the trail you will see the chat option at the top of the results. Let us know how it goes by leaving a comment.