Sogou Search Establishes Authoritative Standard with Tier-3 Chief Physicians to Enhance Accessibility of Reliable Medical Information

Chinese Residents’ Demand for Health Continues to Rise with Improving Living Standards

The public has always placed greater inherent trust in high-quality medical resources. However, given China’s vast population and substantial healthcare demands, premium medical resources remain relatively scarce and unevenly distributed. Currently, most of the country’s top-tier medical experts are concentrated in Grade 3A hospitals, yet there are only slightly over 1,300 such institutions nationwide. In light of the enormous patient population, physician resources at these Grade 3A hospitals are exceedingly precious, making it difficult for ordinary patients to access them directly in their daily lives.

In an era where the public healthcare service system lags far behind the surging demand, search engines have become the primary channel for the general public to access medical and health information. According to user research by Penguin Intelligence, 39% of users prefer using search engines when experiencing physical discomfort, a proportion higher than those who choose to visit hospitals directly. Similar findings from Google’s overseas research indicate that 42% of users prioritize search engines for such inquiries. Sogou Search, one of China’s leading search engines, handles tens of millions of medical and health-related queries daily, accounting for more than 10% of its total search volume.

However, in the wake of intermittent medical incidents stemming from online health searches, this domain has faced significant public criticism. Meanwhile, vertical health search engines encounter an even greater challenge: the sheer complexity and clutter of online information, coupled with the high threshold of medical knowledge, make it difficult for users to independently distinguish fact from fiction.

Regarding misinformation, Ying Lei, head of Sogou’s medical search product, stated, “Non-professionals provide unverified information, leaving users unable to determine whether the vast and complex medical information available online is authoritative, professional, or reliable.”

When users search online for information about their illnesses, they are often more eager to find reliable medical information. Therefore, the authority and professionalism of information sources have become the most critical challenge to address in medical searches.

Sogou, which has been deepening its presence in the medical search sector, has recently launched “Authoritative Interpretations by Tier-3A Hospital Physicians” based on its search technology. When users query medical-related questions on Sogou Search, such as “how to manage hypertension” or “dietary contraindications for diabetes,” they can directly access authoritative and professional interpretations provided by chief physicians from Tier-3A hospitals across China. These resources are available in various formats, including audio, video, articles, and Q&A sessions.

In the associated answers, not only is the hospital of the responding physician displayed, but the response also includes explicit identifiers such as “Grade III Class A” and “Chief Physician.”

On the basis of verifying and confirming the authority of hospital (tier) and physician (professional title) data provided by its partners, Sogou Search leverages its search technology to assess content quality and relevance, thereby accurately matching user search queries. It prioritizes the display of authoritative and professional interpretations that are highly relevant to user search intent in the top search results.

Currently, “Authoritative Interpretations by Tier-3A Hospital Physicians” provides comprehensive coverage of all search queries related to diseases and symptoms. For every search intent concerning diseases or symptoms, it delivers authoritative and professional insights from physicians at Tier-3A hospitals across China.

According to Ying Lei, Sogou Search is the first in the industry to establish an authoritative standard for chief physicians from Grade A tertiary hospitals. In terms of its knowledge base, the volume of authoritative and professional interpretive content provided by doctors from these hospitals on Sogou Search has already reached tens of millions and continues to grow.

As mentioned above, the current debate surrounding medical search in China primarily centers on misinformation and medical promotion. From a demand-side perspective, it is worth considering what information individuals searching for diseases on search engines are actually seeking.

The core issue lies in whether search engines can provide valuable, targeted medical information. How can users be enabled to obtain more desired search results more directly, helping them access more effective and authentic information based on their symptoms? How can higher-quality content be systematically presented online to facilitate easier user access?

Sogou Search Launches “Authoritative Interpretations by Tier-3A Hospital Doctors,” with Key Advantages Reflected in the Following Two Aspects:

1. Control Information at the Source

Traditional methods of searching for medical information suffer from user experience drawbacks, as the comprehensive information provided by physicians is not directly accessible to users. On one hand, much of the content appearing in search results is based on users’ self-reported responses or anecdotal experience, lacking authority. On the other hand, accessing physician-provided information requires additional steps: users must first locate third-party internet healthcare platforms and then search for physicians in the relevant specialties on those platforms to retrieve the desired information.

In terms of medical information control, May 2017 can be regarded as a turning point for the entire medical search sector. Following the Wei Zexi incident, Baidu implemented several control measures, primarily focusing on two aspects:

First, complaints to the User Service Center. Internet users who encounter harmful online information through Baidu Search can file a complaint via the Baidu User Service Center, and Baidu will handle it promptly.

Second, the number of commercial promotions was strictly limited. Each piece of promotional content was clearly labeled, thousands of medical institutions were removed from the platform, and disease-related search results with paid top-ranking placements were discontinued.

Baidu’s content feedback relies primarily on passive user input, whereas Sogou Search proactively ensures content professionalism and quality by starting with the source. It strictly enforces the authority of medical data, requiring that specific data be provided by physicians, and leverages top-tier data from chief physicians at Grade 3A hospitals to guarantee search quality and authoritative reliability.

Ying Lei stated that to ensure the authority and professionalism of data, Sogou Search employs a specialized medical team to review the accuracy of medical content on its platform, verifying the credibility of such content through real-name authentication of physicians. Additionally, the quality of content providers’ web pages is evaluated against standards such as prohibiting advertisements above the fold and ensuring no false information is present. Furthermore, Sogou Search leverages search technology to retrieve the most relevant results, thereby guaranteeing an optimal user experience.

Sogou Search: “Authoritative Interpretations by Tier-3A Hospital Physicians” Example

2. Over 50% of renowned chief physicians and above from Grade A tertiary hospitals provide content endorsement

On Sogou Search, which features physician endorsements, tens of millions of authoritative, high-quality content pieces from chief physicians at China’s top-tier (Grade A Tertiary) hospitals have been aggregated. All results under “Authoritative Interpretations by Top-Tier Hospital Physicians” consist of expert and professional insights provided by physicians at the level of associate chief physician or above from Grade A Tertiary hospitals. More than 50% of the physicians featured in the search results are associate chief physicians or higher from renowned Grade A Tertiary hospitals located in regions with premium medical resources across China.

This means that the authoritative and professional interpretations provided by Grade 3A hospital doctors on the Sogou Search platform are mostly authored by leading medical experts from Grade 3A hospitals across China, offering extremely high authority, professionalism, and reference value.

Compared to the domestic landscape, medical search abroad exhibits a more diversified overall pattern. However, from the perspective of search methods dominated by traditional media and various professional medical knowledge bases, authoritative and specialized sources and content remain the key to enhancing the quality of user searches, particularly in medicine, a field of professional expertise where lives are at stake.

Currently, medical science popularization information in China is accessible only through doctor and patient communities. On such platforms, content is largely generated by user responses or maintained by forum moderators to ensure information authenticity and adherence to site standards. Resources from traditional media and specialized medical knowledge bases are relatively scarce. To meet the strong demand for medical information among users, Sogou has established an authoritative medical information database, leveraging expertise from physicians at Tier 3 Grade A hospitals to define authoritative standards.

In the current medical search landscape, Sogou Search’s move holds significance in three key aspects:

1. Lower the barrier for users to access authoritative medical information from experts and improve convenience

As previously mentioned, search engines have become the primary channel for users to access medical information. In the face of genuine needs, this trend also reflects the imbalance in medical resource distribution. Questions such as “What should I do when I get sick?”, “Where should I seek medical care when I get sick?”, and “What precautions should I take when I get sick?” have become the most frequent actions in patients’ daily search behaviors.

In China, the healthcare environment is relatively unique, with a prominent issue of excessive demand for medical services. In major cities, securing an appointment at large hospitals is extremely difficult (“a single registration slot is hard to come by”). Even when patients can consult with doctors in person, physicians’ time is highly valuable, and they are often unable to provide extensive additional instructions or precautions. Post-consultation follow-up is also inefficient. Consequently, patients typically turn to internet-based solutions to address these challenges.

Sogou Search establishes the authoritative standards of directors from Grade 3A hospitals, enabling users to access authoritative answers from these experts online. This lowers the threshold for the general public to obtain credible medical information provided by doctors and specialists at Grade 3A hospitals, allowing users to access high-quality medical resources across China without leaving their homes.

2. Promote the Establishment of Authoritative Health and Medical Content

At a time when medical search lacked clear regulations, Sogou Search took the industry lead in establishing an authoritative standard based on chief physicians from Grade 3A hospitals. This move is conducive to creating a ripple effect across the entire industry. On one hand, Sogou has built its own professional knowledge base; on the other, it has imposed new, authoritative, and professional requirements on the quality of content provided by partners. Meanwhile, Sogou itself has undergone rigorous review processes to filter out misinformation and reduce promotional content. This initiative by Sogou may offer new insights for the medical search sector and drive further development in enhancing the authority of health and medical content across the internet.

3. Alleviate the issue of uneven distribution of medical resources to a certain extent

China, with its vast population, has witnessed a growing demand for high-quality healthcare resources in recent years. However, the unequal distribution of medical resources remains a persistent social issue. Tertiary Grade A hospitals siphon off premium medical resources, and overmedicalization has led to overcrowding in these large facilities. It has become commonplace for patients to visit tertiary Grade A hospitals even for common colds. Physicians typically spend only a few minutes with each patient during outpatient consultations. Once patients leave the clinic, they lose ongoing engagement with their doctors, and pre- and post-consultation information needs are usually addressed by seeking help online.

Sogou Search has brought authoritative medical information provided by doctors from Grade 3A hospitals online, matching user needs through search technology. This approach breaks down time and geographical barriers, enhancing the accessibility of healthcare services for residents in second-tier cities and even remote mountainous areas. To some extent, it alleviates problems caused by the uneven distribution of medical resources. In the long run, it also helps improve the health literacy of Chinese residents.

In the past, searching for disease information online and consulting doctors via digital platforms were practices adopted by only a small minority. However, after years of cultivating user habits, the new generation of internet users—spanning both their parents and the next generation—now prioritize the internet and mobile devices as their primary channels for accessing health information. This trend toward digital platforms as the main entry point for the general patient population continues to strengthen.

Since May 2016, Sogou Search has been strategically positioning itself in the medical search sector, aiming to provide users with immediate access to authoritative and professional medical information. In 2018 alone, Sogou Search continued to explore and innovate in this field by developing authoritative health science content and health inquiry tools. In addition to offering overseas authoritative health information, explanations of symptoms and treatment plans, an encyclopedia of authoritative drug package inserts, and expert interpretations from Tier-3 Grade-A hospital physicians, Sogou Search launched a query service for problematic vaccines in response to the “vaccine incident,” and introduced a drug safety inquiry tool in November.

Wang Xiaochuan, CEO of Sogou, has previously stated that making authentic and authoritative medical information readily accessible is the only way to truly benefit users. This reflects both Sogou’s original intention in deeply cultivating the medical search sector and the genuine needs of its users. By aggregating various types of authoritative and professional information, Sogou Search has, to a certain extent, promoted the purification of China’s medical search environment, achieving a significant upgrade in users’ medical search experience.