Amazon’s move to provide medical advice through Alexa is terrifying for parents like me – it will cloud our natural instincts

Of course there are moments when I wish I had another opinion and the support of a partner who loves my kids. But until it’s been tried, tested and proven infallible, I’m not welcoming Alexa into that role

In the last month, I’ve found out that a lump on my gum is an infection, and that abnormal liver function results are a pregnancy hangover rather than a symptom of cancer. Rationally, I knew that in context neither of these things were likely to end with me ordering my coffin. But emotionally, as the solo parent to two young children, my greatest fear is that something will happen to me so I can’t be a good mum. My sleepless nights haven’t been solely from night-feeds.

So, news that Alexa will be helping to diagnose illnesses fills me with concern. Voice technology is transforming our lives and is uniquely inclusive: my two-year-old daughter and my 92-year-old grandmother could both command a voice assistant with ease. Over the next decade I think it will be woven so comprehensively through our lives that my children will believe I grew up in the “olden days” just imagining life without it. But this move pushes the burden of medical decision making onto patients themselves, and adds an extra responsibility to parents’ lives that we’re not qualified to undertake.

I’ve been told by doctors so many times over the years not to look at Google when trying to work out my own symptoms. Now, the Department of Health and Social Care is endorsing this approach to diagnosis, with Matt Hancock, the health secretary, saying this will “empower” patients and “reduce the pressure on our hardworking GPs and pharmacists”.

I’m not so sure this is a cure for our underfunded, overstretched NHS. My concern is that children’s symptoms are often difficult to diagnose, and the help of someone who has spent more than half a decade understanding whether a rash is a harmless virus or a symptom of meningitis, a high temperature a sign of teething or tonsillitis, is crucial.

With the backing of Alexa, I suspect that those of us who are overly concerned about our health will end up taking up more of medics’ time unnecessarily, and those who are doctor dodgers will feel legitimised in never going to a surgery

One friend whose son is one year old, and as yet unable to explain his symptoms, says that the prospect of relying on voice technology concerns her, especially while her son is too young to communicate how he is feeling. She also suspects that her choices would spill over into Amazon itself, her shopping recommendations flooded with Calpol products or migraine relief each time she consulted Alexa for medical advice.

Another friend, who frequently reads the NHS website and consults Google when faced with her children’s symptoms, feels that she needs to see images of say, slapped cheeks, chickenpox and hives to decide on the actions to take when her sons show symptoms of being unwell.

While I can see the advantages for people who are blind, I worry that a soothing voice could distract parents from their instincts – that spider sense that helps us to feel when there is something seriously wrong with our children.

I understand why professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, chairwoman of the Royal College of GPs – who welcomes the move and believes it has potential for minor ailments, coughs and colds – is also cautioning that this needs testing. “It’s vital that independent research is done to ensure that the advice given is safe, otherwise it could prevent people from seeking proper medical help and create even more pressure on our overstretched GP service,” she says. With the backing of Alexa, I suspect that those of us who are overly concerned about our health will end up taking up more of medics’ time unnecessarily, and those who are doctor dodgers will feel legitimised in never going to a surgery.

I love being a parent, but I find those hours when my daughter has a fever and I measure time between Calpol doses, or when my son is unwell and I weigh up whether we need to go to A&E, really hard. These are the moments when I wish I had another opinion and the support of a partner who loves my kids, but I’m not welcoming Alexa into that role. Until it’s been tried, tested and found infallible, I’ll continue to rely on wonderful doctors rather than voice technology to diagnose my children.