Following months of hype and speculation, Google has launched a new service for archiving health records and seeking medical assistance. Google Health will help users build personal health profiles centered on their own medical records, and then locate doctors and online resources. The information can then be accessed by registered hospitals and pharmacies with a patient’s permission.

While many onlookers are impressed with the extent of Google’s new service, convincing the general public to sign up for such a service is expected to be a difficult and slow process.   Google hopes to ease user concerns by insisting that they will maintain complete control over their records.