My idea for a better world

As already written on Habré, Google invited Internet users to post their ideas on how to improve the world. You can post your idea until October 20th. And on January 27, 2009, users will start voting for the posted ideas, then those projects that get the largest number of users' votes will be reviewed by Google experts, and the five best ideas will receive $ 10 million, which will be used to implement them. The project is non-commercial, and the person who proposed the idea receives nothing but the realization that he helped make the world a little bit better.

I also have an idea that, in my opinion, will help make the world a better place. In principle, I implement it anyway sooner or later (in general, I earn money for its implementation), but I decided to offer it to Google - he will certainly be able to do it well. And since it really helps to improve the world, then let it be better implemented by Google earlier than later by me.

Here is a brief summary:
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Many people on the planet die every year from the fact that their disease was incorrectly diagnosed or diagnosed too late. At the same time, most cases this happens even not because there is no access to the necessary diagnostic equipment, but because local doctors cannot correctly interpret the data. Thus, the lack of qualifications of diagnosticians most of all suffer people who do not live near large scientific medical centers - in underdeveloped countries, in depressed regions, etc.

The opportunity for the attending physician to consult with the world's leading scientists in diagnosis, giving them a patient history and data from his analyzes, would allow the attending physicians in the field to diagnose difficult cases earlier, which would save the lives of their patients. In addition, communication with leading doctors from around the world, which occurs when a patient is diagnosed, would help to improve the skills of local doctors.

Technically, the idea is a social network to which doctors and medical institutions in different countries are connected. Doctors who wish to consult their colleagues can fill out a case card, while other doctors can look at cases laid out by their colleagues that suit their specialization and be included in their decision. This social network should be able to conduct multi-user video conferencing, sharing documents, participants should be able to attach rich media files. It is also desirable to implement the ability to search for similar cases (both already solved and in the process of solution) based on the comparison criteria set by the doctor (results of laboratory studies of patients, X-ray and other images, etc.) so that you can analyze similar cases proposed methods for solving them and the results of applying these recommendations.

Even the best doctors cannot be so qualified as to diagnose some rare diseases on their own, without the help of their colleagues, especially when they are not related to their specialization.

On January 27, when the voting starts, I plan to turn to my friends in social networks and habraujers to vote for this idea. After all, it does not matter who exactly implements it - it is important that the world become a little bit better.

UPD 1: Transferred the topic to the Startups collective blog, since this idea is a startup idea - even though it was proposed to Google as part of its competition for improving the world.

UPD 2: I do not propose to put a “collective diagnosis” within the framework of this idea, just as I do not presume that patients should consult the specialists themselves who will use this project. The main figure in this whole process is the patient's doctor. If he has problems with diagnosis or is not sure about something, he ( and only he! ) Makes up a case that does not contain the personal data of a person, by which he could be uniquely identified (full name), and asks for help from his colleagues. After other experts discussed the case, citing their arguments, perhaps recommending a number of diagnostic procedures, etc., it is the attending physician ( and only he! ) Who makes the final decision about what kind of diagnosis his patient has and which treatment is necessary for him to appoint. Because it is the attending physician who is responsible for the health and life of his patient! Thus, no one talks about the fact that people unknown to anyone will collectively make a diagnosis to patients without contact with him.

Some commentators have expressed the opinion that the diagnosis cannot be made at a distance. In many ways, this is true, but not in this project: here his physician, a professional who is able, at the suggestion of colleagues, to conduct additional examination and questioning of his patient and present his results in a language understandable to other specialists (meaning professional slang) is located next to the patient. . Thus, the project does not serve the purposes of an absentee diagnosis, but is needed so that a professional doctor can ask his colleagues for advice no matter where they are.

Also in the topic is not a business plan for this project, but a summary of its main idea . Google limits this description to 300 words. Naturally, it is impossible to spell out all the details of the project in 300 words. The requirement that the idea be monetized is not in the rules of the action initiated by Google, within which I proposed this idea to Google. However, in the first comments I suggested options on how this project could be monetized. But I repeat that initially the requirements for the monetization of the proposed ideas were not put forward under the terms of the action, because Google is not looking for ideas for its commercial projects, but for projects that can help make the world a better place.