The search engine and software giants Google and Microsoft are in the process of planning ways of assisting internet users to make more informed decisions concerning medical care and health matters, the New York Times reports.Both companies, while recognising the various obstacles in the way of such a project, see a potential for attracting a large number of people for health-related services and advertising.
The companies hope to achieve their goal by combining improved internet search tools, online personal health records and the resources of the web.
If Google and Microsoft are successful, individuals would be given greater control over healthcare issues.
Dr John Halamka, a doctor and chief information officer of the Harvard Medical School, commented: "Patients will ultimately be the stewards of their own information.
"In the future, health care will be a much more collaborative process between patients and doctors."
Google and Microsoft are hoping that this will cause more people to seek control over their own health records, using tools that they can provide.
Both companies have already moved into the healthcare market with Google making a Google Health search available to its users and Microsoft buying Medstory, whose search software is designed for health information.
Despite being a lucrative industry, however, medical care is predicted to be a difficult area to make progress in due to the stringent regulation and policy involved.
