Google - can you get them to change search results?

[rbullivant]

Bit of an odd one but our baby needs an operation so I googled 'baby anaesthetic' and the first result is about a botched op and dead baby on the daily mail. Now I'd guess that like me anyone who googled that wouldn't actually want to see that article. It had me in tears and I had to forbid my wife from googling it.

Is there any way to get them to remove the link, as I doubt anyone who googles it would want to read it really

[thescrounger]

The point of a search engine is to find things.

[rbullivant]

I know but if I wanted that I'd google dead baby anaesthetic

[redvers]

Google customised searches based on what it thinks you want. Try the same search on DuckDuckGo (which uses google) to see if it is a general google thing or is specific to you

[ian turner]

That would be censorship. Imagine the Daily Mail headline.
Your search was too vague, you should have tried ''baby anaesthetic reassurance' to avoid news items that might give you reasonable grounds for worry.

[mklion123]

Originally Posted by rbullivant

I know but if I wanted that I'd google dead baby anaesthetic

that's the thing with any search engine, you never know what you are going to get, and at the same time it goes to show that with any use of anaesthetic there is a risk.

on a lighter note try googling: English person, now that is not what I was expecting!

[rbullivant]

Originally Posted by ian turner

That would be censorship. Imagine the Daily Mail headline.
Your search was too vague, you should have tried ''baby anaesthetic reassurance' to avoid news items that might give you reasonable grounds for worry.

Ironically it was. Not sure why it'd be censorship, just correcting mistakes in the search engine. Can't be doing google much good, all it's teaching is parents not to google anything

[mklion123]

Originally Posted by rbullivant

Ironically it was. Not sure why it'd be censorship, just correcting mistakes in the search engine. Can't be doing google much good, all it's teaching is parents not to google anything

But it wasn't a mistake, you got a mail article about baby anaesthetic? the mistake was maybe you going ahead and reading the article.
but as I said above where anaesthetic is used, on anyone there are risks and as such you take your chances, the fact is you probably wont find any stats on how many have used anaesthetic and come through it unharmed.

[ian turner]

I meant the "Google blocks Daily mail articles, Labour denies connection with Larry Page" article that would result.
It's well known that a search on medical details generally increases the chances of you developing hypochondria. Ask a doctor instead and don't sue them for distress if they mentiion a low possibility of death

[driver8]

Getting specific stats for infants might be tricky, but -

Is General Anesthesia Safe?

In a 1954 review of 599,548 surgical procedures at 10 hospitals in the United States between 1948–1952, 384 deaths were attributed to anaesthesia, for an overall mortality rate of 0.064%

Complications attributable to anaesthesia-complications caused mainly by the anaesthetic procedure-occurred in 0.6% (1:170) of the patients, and mortality attributable to anaesthesia was found to be 0.04% (1:2500).

And as for the google result - afaik they monitor for actual clicks made for a search term (amongst many other things), so obviously what you saw at the top was what most people actually did click on for those specific search terms.

EDIT
Should really have said - sorry to hear of your news.

But if you keep things in perspective and apply the same logic as with other procedures & decisions - only the problem cases make the headlines, and few people write about their successful operations (etc), plus with safety stats you're more likely to die using a toaster, or in the car on the way to ... etc.
.

[roddy]

'Give us feedback' link at the bottom. Realistically though, you're unlikely to get anywhere.

[akira9000]

Originally Posted by rbullivant

Ironically it was. Not sure why it'd be censorship, just correcting mistakes in the search engine. Can't be doing google much good, all it's teaching is parents not to google anything

What planet are you on?

[SIMON ADEBISI]

Why do people google medical stuff. It always ends up terrifying them.

What is this mark on my foot? "AIDS"

Why am i coughing "AIDS"

Why does my ear hurt? "GONORRHEA"

[splobber]

Just make sure you don't search for "English person" then.

[SIMON ADEBISI]

at the 2nd result.

[SIMON ADEBISI]

dupe.

[mklion123]

Originally Posted by splobber

Just make sure you don't search for "English person" then.

welcome to post 6