The article does smell a bit like "tech can fix everything" when the problem with WebMD and others is not that they are full of ads or SEO optimisation.
The simple truth is that medical care is more complex than just "headache = paracetomol". Some drugs don't work on some people, others might be more effective but more expensive. Some are not compatible with e.g. pregnancy or other drugs you might be taken.
As for symptom identification, many of us have seen "House MD" and should know that pain + swelling could be any of about 1000 conditions. This is why we still need Doctors.
Sure, us "clever" types might be able to self-diagnose 90% of the time but we need the doctor who can see the pale skin, the yellow eyes, who asks about recent changes in lifestyle or health, things that we could easily miss.
Now if you could encapsulate all of that on WebMD....
The simple truth is that medical care is more complex than just "headache = paracetomol". Some drugs don't work on some people, others might be more effective but more expensive. Some are not compatible with e.g. pregnancy or other drugs you might be taken.
As for symptom identification, many of us have seen "House MD" and should know that pain + swelling could be any of about 1000 conditions. This is why we still need Doctors.
Sure, us "clever" types might be able to self-diagnose 90% of the time but we need the doctor who can see the pale skin, the yellow eyes, who asks about recent changes in lifestyle or health, things that we could easily miss.
Now if you could encapsulate all of that on WebMD....