Now you can really Google your way to good health

We have all done it. 

Have strange aches and pains, a funny rash or a strange symptom we are not sure what it means; but rather than head to the doctor we head to Google.

It’s a habit fraught with some some danger though; after all; we are not doctors.

Even when we have been to the doctor Google is the first place we go to for  follow up research for ourselves.

But Google has taken a step to make the information available more accurate, and have launched health condition cards in Australia.

The cards are designed to answer health related questions with basic but accurate information, avoiding misleading websites offering misinformation.

Some health cards come with illustrations, but all have been put together after being compiled and reviewed by doctors.

Project manager Isobel Solaqua told the Sydney Morning Herald that when Australians search for common health conditions like asthma they will start to see health cards appear in the search results.

“These health cards are meant to provide basic information about health conditions and a framework to help users dive deeper across the web and do deeper research as well as to have more informed conversations with their doctors,” Ms Solaqua told the Sydney Morning Herald.

And there is good reason the cards have been created.

According to Google, one in every 20 searches on their site is health related.

Google first introduced health cards in the US in 2015, and introduced it in other countries including Brazil and India last year.

The cards now cover over 900 common medical conditions.

Advice is given on the understanding they provide information but are not intended as a resource for self-diagnosis.

They do not provide recommendations for specific medications either and were not created with involvement of any pharmaceutical company or commercial healthcare provider.

Go on… Google it.

Do you look up symptoms online? Have you self-diagnosed before?