Googling for a diagnosis—
use of Google as a diagnostic aid: internet based study
Hangwi Tang, Jennifer Hwee Kwoon Ng
BMJ 2006;333;1143-1145
Speaker : Yen‐Jhih Huang
Advisor : Yu‐Chuan Li

How good is Google
in helping doctors to
reach the correct diagnosis?

Method
Difficult diagnostic cases
• New England Journal of Medicine (2005)
• Excluded management cases
• Selected three to five search terms
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Method
• Search
• Select & Record (three most prominent diagnoses)
- First three pages (30 documents)
- Not Suggest : three most likely diagnoses
• Compared the correct diagnoses

Results
• Identified 26 cases
• Correct diagnosis in 15 cases
(58%, 95% confidence interval 38% to 77%)
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Discussion
• Complex diseases with non-specific symptoms
• Common diseases with rare presentations
• Depend on the searchers’ knowledge base
• Doctor
• Patient
• Google Scholar vs PubMed

Case 10
• Fever
• Bilateral thigh pain
• Weakness
Google Diagnosis：Amyotrophy
Final Diagnosis：Ehrlichiosis
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Case 18
• Fibroma
• Astrocytoma
• Tumor
• Leiomyoma
• Scoliosis
Google Diagnosis：Tuberous Sclerosis
Final Diagnosis：Endometriosis
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Conclusions
• Most common uses of the web
( Health Information , 2001)
• Need to become proficient

My Test
• 4 case success
(case 14、16、18、19)
• 19/26 (73%)
• Case 31 : Terms unsuitable