I hate making an appointment with a doctor or going to the hospital when I am worried about my health. I would usually try to answer my questions with WebMD or sites like that.
When I came across an app titled Family Doctor, I normally would have brushed it aside. But, this app is from the same developers as the Starwalk iPhone app. If you have seen that app, you can naturally assume Family Doctor has to be a quality app. So, I checked it out.
Family Doctor iPhone app is basically like going through a flowchart. It acts as a quick-reference for your health symptoms. You answer a series of questions and based on your answers you will get a diagnosis.
This is so much better than googling for obvious reasons. You can narrow down to your specific symptoms and what you experience than searching broadly and coming across all kinds of results.
The app has charts for children, adults, men and women. It starts out broadly like what you (or someone in your family) might experience – not feeling well, fatigue, difficulty sleeping, etc.
Once you choose the most relevant symptom, you press start and start answering a series of yes/no type questions. Once you go down all the way by answering, you will get a diagnosis on what is possibly causing your symptom. It ends with a possible cause and an action.
For eg. for a headache which gets worse when I bend down it suggests trying steam inhalation. Also, it has information on what are ‘red flag’ symptoms. For instance, if a headache is accompanied by weakness in a limb, blurred vision, etc., call an ambulance.
The app comes with 150 symptom charts and should answer most common symptoms we experience. It also helps identify the symptoms that you should worry about and the ones you can treat with self-help.
You can also easily search for a symptom with the chartfinder in the main menu.
There are times when we may be able to sit and research. But, there are also times when we need a quick answer to take care of a loved one or yourself.
Your iPhone comes in handy and having an app like Family Doctor could be priceless on those occasions.
Family Doctor will cost you a cool $5.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Availability: App Store
Price: $4.99
Developer: Vito Technology Inc.
