If there is a golden rule for everyday Internet use, "Don’t google your symptoms" is a pretty good candidate. Well, that and "Don’t read the comments section". Despite the huge store of health information online, googling your scratchy throat can be a risky route to erroneously self-diagnosing cancer of the larynx. Yet, clearly not every ailment requires a doctor’s visit. Ada describes itself as your personal health companion app. Through a fairly comprehensive list of symptom-and context-specific questions, the app guides you towards possible and probable causes using simple, non-medical language. It asks about the duration and intensity of symptoms before moving to a series of related questions, to which you can answer "yes", "no" or "I don’t know". Some questions offer a further "What does this mean?" link to guide you in answering the more technical questions. At the end of the questioning, Ada offers you a report based on your answers. In this way, the app can help you narrow d...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.