Hi All,WebMD's Symptom Checker is a very useful and interactive tool that might help you diagnose what is really wrong with you when you don't feel well.
The top of the page has a helpful ribbon of options - which include topics like 'Health A-Z', 'Drugs and Supplements', 'Living Healthy', 'Family and Pregnancy' and 'News and Experts'.
The real value of the site is the Symptom Checker tool. In order to use it though, users need to fill out some information - which is completely useless since the user can enter false answers to questions like 'Who is the information for?', 'Gender' and 'Age'. Other options include zip code and your email address. Once you submit the answers you see a screen with a body map. Users can click on the map to zoom in on various parts of the body.
For example, I chose the chest - then a list of chest symptoms appears next to the body map. I chose a 'cough'. Whereupon several questions related to the cough are asked. Questions included 'what brought on the cough?', 'Cough developed after exposure to...', and 'Cough associated with...'.
A list of possible conditions is included on the screen once all the questions are successfully answered. Whereupon the user can click on any of the possible conditions and will promptly be taken to the WebMD section of the site that discusses that condition.
At the top of the screen a list of the symptoms is included, an overview of the condition is given, what the patient can expect from the condition is also discussed. Furthermore a section of 'how common' the particular condition is? is listed on WebMD. Sections on Treatment, Self Care, Made Worse By, When to See Your Doctor and Questions to Ask Your Doctor is included in the WebMD Symptom Checker.
Readers can skip to the next condition, print the current condition and more.
WebMD has a Cold and Flu newsletter for readers as well as options to Find a Doctor and Finding the Lowest Drug Prices.
The site is easy to navigate, reputable, current and well organized. Its a good site to learn more about your present condition/illness or to learn what your present symptoms actually mean!
Regards,
Stu
