Google announced today that it will start showing information for medications with the Knowledge Graph. Specifically, results may include “key facts — side effects, related medications, links to in-depth resources, and more”. Obviously, this will be info presented right on the search results page.
It would be interesting to see what kind of effect this has on users clicking through to other sites like WebMD.
“This data comes from the U.S. FDA, the National Library of Medicine, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, among others,” says Google Search Senior Product Manager Aaron Brown. “It’s part of the Knowledge Graph — our project to map out billions of real-world things, from famous artists to roller coasters to planets (and now medications). We hope you find this useful, but remember that these results do not act as medical advice.”
When you’re talking about something like medicine, the nature of the info users are pointed to is of higher importance than something like that of celebrities. Now, you’re talking about information that can directly influence decisions related to people’s heath and well-being.
Google did not specify the roll-out timeframe. We’re not seeing the results yet, but presumably, users in the U.S. will start seeing them soon.
Do you think Google’s Knowledge Graph and these particular sources have what it takes to provide the best results for queries about medications?