• Alt Search Engines, Wednesday, January 9, 2008 12:45 PM

Last year Microsoft began a major push toward becoming the leader in the health search and information space by rolling out HealthVault--a personal medical data aggregator and search engine. But Charles Knight serves up a review of almost a dozen alternative engines vying for the same top spot (not to mention the ever-evolving Google Health), each with its own unique value propositions.

MEDgle, for example, is an image-centric search engine--a tool Knight calls "a hypochondriac's dream," as it offers comprehensive info on specific symptoms via simple body part navigation. ZocDoc is a local health search engine that helps users find doctors and dentists in their neighborhood (great for moving to a new city), while TauMed is social media-focused, with Q&A forums and lots of user-generated video.

iMedix and Revolution Health also offer community-focused features like forums, but the latter also offers a wealth of articles and health news. Meanwhile, Healia offers a customizable interface (with filters and other configurations) that makes it easier for users to sift through the full breadth of medical info on the Web, and iGuard serves up details on the safety and possible contraindications of specific prescription drugs.

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