Published: November 13, 2008 03:25 am         

Internet provides wealth of health information

Computer Bytes

We've all seen the ads on television for WebMD where you can search out information regarding symptoms, medications and conditions. Taking this to the next level, you can now manage and store your health information on-line. One such service is offered for free by Google Health.

Is this safe, you may ask? Google states that your personal health information belongs to you; therefore, you can decide how much you want to share and with whom you want to share it. Their service stores your health information privately and securely according to their statement and belief.

You can use your free Google account to set-up your health profile. Once created you decide how much medical information you want to include. For example, you can include conditions, allergies, and medications. From here you can visit links to read about treatments, symptoms and causes. You can even create additional profiles in your account for parents, children or anyone you care about.

Entering your complete medical history would be next to impossible so Google has partnered with various labs, hospitals and pharmacies allowing you to import your medical records and prescription history from providers that are treating you. To do this you will need to sign in at the participating partner's site with the appropriate username and login you have with them, and then confirm you want to transfer data via your account to Google Health.

Having such an account allows you to view your medical history either as a summary or you can view details. Google Health will check for potential interaction between your drugs every time you add new health data. You can then review the tips to see if there are any issues you would want to discuss with your doctor.

Other services are provided such as refilling of prescriptions online, getting personalized health information based on your profile or asking for a second opinion. You can also locate hospitals or doctors online. Once you have located a doctor you can review their professional details before making an appointment.

While having health information online is convenient and offers easy access to data and medications, it is a personal choice with pros and cons. A Google Health account can be set up for free through your existing Google account. For more information visit - http://www.google.com/intl/en-US/health/tour/index.html - where you can take a quick tour of the program, read the policies and terms of service, or review the FAQ's.

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