![]() “Additionally, during our beta period, some of the most common searches were simply-put symptoms, conditions or even body parts, such as ‘stomach,’ ‘TMJ’ and ‘tonsil.’ which, thanks to our algorithm, now successfully map to gastroenterologists, prosthodontists and ENTs,” the company wrote. It is then paired with string-matching technology to retrieve relevant results. Using aggregated data in a method knows as semantic search technology, the search engine has learned natural human communication and mapped commonly used terms to the appropriate corresponding medical term, visit reason or procedure. ![]() Zocdoc developed the beta version of the Patient Powered Search based on data they have gathered over the past 10 years since launching, and built a machine-learning algorithm using existing medical literature gathered online. This is especially concerning at the critical moment when patients are motivated to seek care.” This disconnect between medical speak and patients’ own colloquial language – think ‘gyno’ not ‘obstetrician-gynecologist’ – can frustrate, intimidate or even deter patients in their searches. “At the same time, according to the CDC, nine in ten Americans struggle to understand jargon-filled health information. “Millions of patients come to Zocdoc each month to find and book appointments with healthcare providers across more than 50 specialties … This is no small feat, considering the healthcare industry uses academic terminology and alphabetized lists of hard-to-spell specialties to categorize and deliver care,” the company wrote in a blog post. The Patient Powered Search engine can recognize more everyday human language, including vague searches like “hurt wrist” or misspelled medical conditions. The idea is to take the onus off patients to know exactly what they are looking for, including proper terminology to accurately describe a condition. Now, the ability to find and schedule doctor visits will become more personalized and approachable with Zocdoc’s Patient Powered Search engine, which employs machine learning and natural language processing to make the experience more conversational. Doctor appointment booking platform Zocdoc is launching a new, smarter search feature to its offering on both mobile and desktop.
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