Google needs no introduction. It is the single most dominant force on the Internet and perhaps the most influential company in all of information technology. It has already accomplished something that has eluded Microsoft — entering the dictionary as a verb.

In May, Google launched Google Health (GH) in the United States. It likely will be in beta mode for years but it is already of value to those who are using it. Currently that is limited to Americans. Google’s official position on widespread availability was stated by a spokesperson in this fashion: “Google Health is currently available in the English language and the U.S. only. We are always looking to extend our products and services to users worldwide, and we hope to continue to expand Google Health to other countries and languages in the future. In the case of Google Health, there are very different rules and regulations concerning privacy and the ways personal health data and electronic medical records are stored in countries outside of the U.S. This will not be a hasty process.”

Google’s position notwithstanding, there doesn’t seem to be anything preventing non-Americans from taking a look at www.google.com/health.

Google Health allows an individual to keep his or her health records online. This data can be input manually and/or imported from clinics, hospitals, pharmacies, or other places where health records are housed. That by itself would be tremendously valuable but GH does more than just store and display your health records. It can check your medications for dangerous and unintended interactions, send you alerts based on your profile, analyze your data for dangerous conditions and remind you to take your medications by sending messages to your cell phone.

Google Health, like other Google applications, has an uncluttered interface. After logging in with the same user name and password you use for Gmail and other Google services, you have four choices: Add to this Google Health profile, Import medical records, Explore online health services, and Find a doctor.

Let’s look at each of them one by one.

You start building up your profile by entering basics such as age, sex and height. GH automatically calculates your BMI (body mass index), a simplistic measure of underweight/overweight. As you add to your profile, GH is able to do more interesting and valuable things with your data.

Once you’ve completed the basics, you enter more detailed information in the following categories: conditions, medications, allergies, procedures, test results, and immunizations.

Conditions:
Here is where you choose your conditions (diseases or other problems) from an unusually extensive list. Typing the first few letters is usually all you need to do. Most conditions have a “Reference” link to a page with detailed information and links to other resources.

Medications:
You enter your current medications in the same way. There is considerable detail on each of the thousands of meds listed. I liked the inclusion of the information in the package insert, something most of us get rid of after opening the package. It contains guidelines such as how to use, how to store, what to do in the event of missing a dose, side effects, and so on.
GH scans your medications for unintended interactions. Since many patients take medications that have been prescribed by different doctors and dispensed by different pharmacies, this is an important line of defense. Drug interactions kill thousands of people in Canada every year.

Allergies:
Same as before, you choose from a list and add details if desired.

Procedures:
Examples of procedures include appendectomy, hip replacement, dental x-rays and the like. I didn’t count but I estimate that there are more than a thousand to choose from.

Test Results:
Every time you have a physical, a huge amount of data is generated. Weight, blood pressure, blood work results, ECG, ultrasounds, etc.

Immunizations:
If you stepped on a rusty nail while on a camping trip in another province, would you be able to tell the clinic that you went to what your Tetanus vaccination status was?

Next: Not quite there yet

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