Crowdsourcing diagnosis for patients with undiagnosed illnesses: an evaluation of CrowdMed.
Meyer AND, Longhurst CA, Singh H. Crowdsourcing Diagnosis for Patients With Undiagnosed Illnesses: An Evaluation of CrowdMed. J Med Internet Res. 2016;18(1):e12. doi:10.2196/jmir.4887.
The frequency of missed and delayed diagnoses is stimulating interest in innovative ways of improving the diagnostic process. This study reports on the initial experience of a crowdsourcing approach to diagnosis. Patients with difficult-to-diagnose symptoms accessed an online program where volunteer case solvers—only 58% of whom worked in medicine in any capacity—engaged in discussion with patients and provided diagnostic suggestions. A majority of patients felt the service was useful and about half would recommend the program.