The Doctor is On

Injuries are an unfortunate byproduct of sports. Be it the growing concern of concussions, Tommy John surgery or the more normal strains and pulls, every professional and collegiate — and most high school — sporting event has medical staff on the sidelines. Even routine issues such as sore throats, flu-like symptoms or general knee pain diagnoses could be changed as Google is looking to expand its reach by video chatting with doctors.

Credit to reddit user jasonahoule for posting this (via imgur) of a simple “knee pain” screenshot on Friday afternoon:

Tech website Engadget independently verified Google is in fact exploring a “Helpouts-style” option to video chat from any location with doctors. Google Helpouts currently offers a video connection with experts in a wide range of fields from culinary help to computer setup, though medical assistance could be on the way.

Unfortunately a search done around 5:30 pm eastern yesterday afternoon, Google has seemingly pulled back their live chat trial. The exact same search of “knee pain” in the mobile versions of Chrome and Safari as well as Silk failed to yield any “Talk with a doctor now” options.

Chatting with a medical professional will have certain limits, as things such as MRIs, CAT scans etc. are all things that currently cannot be done with a mouse or a touch screen. That being said, there could be a day — perhaps sooner rather than later — where on-field diagnosis for pains, strains and sprains become a part of our everyday lives.

(Header image via NEC)