Google Unleashes Google Health

Google introduced the new Google Health web site on Monday, providing users with access to their prescription and health histories which can be typed in manually or imported from participating providers. Overall, the Google Health web site was easy to navigate. It took a while to get an email confirmation link after signing up for a Google account, but I found it was worth the wait. After creating an account on Google Health, a main screen appeared with many options to explore. The first thing you may want to do is create your own profile details. This includes the following information:

Age, sex, height, etc.
Conditions (Allergies, autism, depression, etc.)
Medications (All medications you are currently taking, including over the counter)
Allergies (to medications)
Procedures/Surgeries
Test Results
Immunizations

It is very important that you do not exaggerate your weight, height or any other pertinent information. After adding medications to your profile, the drug interactions link may show potential drug interactions.

Another great feature on Google Health titled "Import Medical Records," links health service providers to your account. One plus is the Walgreens Pharmacy being listed in the personal health services directory. It was very easy to link them to my profile as I already had a walgreens.com account. After logging into walgreens.com, the screen appeared with a phone number and a pin to call to verify my account. It was simple to do. Unfortunately, the health service provider list is very small but Google plans to add more. Some healthcare providers and pharmacies in the list include Cleveland Clinic MyChart, Medco, Longs Drug Stores, MinuteClinic from CVS Caremark and Quest Diagnostics. After linking one of these web sites to your profile, you may allow that web site to read and add onto your Google Health profile with medical records and/or prescription history.

A user can also find a physician in their area by location, specialty or name simply by clicking on "find a doctor." Putting it to the test, I used the drop down menu and chose pediatrics. I then typed in my city and state. What did I find? I found that my children's doctor has another office about four miles from my home! I have been driving about eighteen miles to his other office not realizing he had one closer. This portion of the web site includes the physician's address, phone number, directions and may also have a link to the physician's web site.

The feature I strongly recommend to users of Google Health is definitely inputting the profile information along with the medications you are allergic to, any health conditions you previously had or currently have and medical procedures that you have received. I found that some procedures were not in the list, but the option is available to manually type in the surgery or procedure and click the add button.

I recommend staying away from the health topics unless you want to research a particular diagnosis you were give by a physician. Do not use the health topics to diagnose your symptoms yourself. Always consult your doctor for a proper diagnosis.

Visit google.com/health to sign up for a Google Health account.