Poking around in one of our latest areas of interest, Clinical Decision Support Systems, I found my way to FreeMD, subtitled your interactive medical library. Dr. Stephen Schueler, the virtual doctor, interviewed me about my "problem" and provided me with a triage report containing:
- conditions of most concern that may be causing my symptoms
- recommended time frame to see a doctor
- a list of tests that might be done
- where I should go for care (ER vs office)
- links to home care information
- links to information for worsening symptoms
- a summary of the report including history, positive and negative findings
For the particular problem I presented with, Dr. Schueler was completely accurate and gave good advice. However, the symptoms were very straightforward. I tried it with more vague symptoms, so I had to answer a lot more questions and there were more "conditions of concern" to be explored.
The site was easy to use and overall I thought it a cut above other sites where you can go with symptoms in search of a disease. A far cry from replacing the real thing though. Try it out and judge for yourself.
According to the About section on the site, FreeMD is written and maintained by physicians at DSHI Systems, a company in business since 1989 developing symptom-based decision support systems.
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