[sdoering]

I put in the following symptoms:

> dry cough, fever, aching limbs

The first result is "Sacoidosis"

"Common cold" is the 4th result. Sarcoidosis is around 25k cases per year in the US. Common cold is some hundreds of million cases in the US per year (on average an adult has 2 - 3 cases per year alone, children even more).

This is dangerous. People will misinterpret the result ordering - esp. as the page tells me it has 84% confidence. This will get misrepresented in a lot of minds.

Maybe one should use data on number of cases per year for ordering - like many doctors (I know) actually do in their heads when listening to symptoms.

[raxxorrax]

It confirms stereotypes we have about diagnostics on the net. Light headache -> Serious stage 28 cancer.

That said, I think such a system is still useful and will improve with data and usage if users are able to confirm or dispute the preliminary diagnosis with the clinical one when it becomes available.

Users should be informed that getting a professional opinion is still mandatory for good health checks.

It could also help the doctor identifying more exotic diseases as it can create a list of possible causes that could quickly be confirmed. But doctors also know about the limited ability of patients to describe their symptoms.

[kisna72]

Not sure now - But at some point Symptoma was being marketed as a tool for physicians. In that context, I think this would be a very helpful tool.

[cyansmoker]

So, not following the "horses, not zebras" model. Too straightforward I guess?