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Facebook has debuted a new healthcare tool that provides users with personalized health resources and checkup reminders.
The tool, called Preventive Health, is a healthcare feature currently only available in the United States. It accesses users’ age and gender, then gives them information on what illnesses they are vulnerable to, as well as reminders for possible screenings or checkups.
The new tool was created with preventive health in mind, particularly in avoiding the two leading causes of death in the United States—cancer and cardiovascular illnesses.
To access the feature, users simply have to search Preventive Health on Facebook or click on an advertisement in their newsfeed. After doing so, users will be presented with various preventive health measures, such as getting a cholesterol test, relative to their age and gender.
The tool also lists medical procedures and explains how frequently a person should undergo each. Users can tick off the procedures they have completed and schedule reminders for future tests or checkups using the tool.
Preventive Health also features a map of health centers in the United States to let users know where they can access healthcare.
Because of data sensitivity associated with the new tool, Dr. Freddy Abnousi [ab-NOO-see], Facebook’s head of healthcare research, ensured that Facebook will not share any personal information to third-party organizations or insurance companies. Similarly, users’ Preventive Health data will not be accessible to other Facebook users.
Eventually, Facebook plans to expand Preventive Health outside the United States. For now, however, the tech company would like to see whether Facebook users will actually engage with the tool.