Microsoft waves virtual stethoscope, advises on ailments

Microsoft has just released HealthVault; a huge, searchable database of ailments, diagnoses and treatments. Like any of the Live services, you can use it anonymously by visiting health.live.com and typing in any symptoms you might have, or the name of a specific complaint for information – written by doctors – about how best to deal with it. Things get even more impressive, though, when you sign in using your Live ID (and you may be asked to set a stronger password before you’re allowed further). This’ll let you into HealthVault Account, which enables you to input and store health records for you, your family and even your pets. You can also upload relevant documents and add a number of third-party programs such as the American Heart Association’s Blood Pressure Management Center and Peaksware’s TrainingPeaks, which tracks GPS and heart-rate data to plan jogging routes. These are all currently decidedly America-centric, though hopefully that will change as more companies add their applications.

Finally, there’s a desktop client to download, bearing a resemblance to Windows Live OneCare, which’ll unite the information you enter into HealthVault Account with any Windows Vista-compatible heart rate monitors and pedometers you own.

One thing to note: Microsoft is keen to state that HealthVault “does not provide medical or any other health care advice, diagnosis or treatment.” This might sound a little like Microsoft dismissing its own website as fallacy, but it’s actually just a simply-worded way of saying “don’t start eating compost even if we tell you it’ll make your gangrene go away, and don’t panic if you manage to diagnose yourself with cancer because it probably isn’t.” What it is useful for is tracking your exercise regime and getting information on what any symptoms might amount to in order to have a more educated discussion with a doctor when you get to the surgery.