Evaluation of symptom checkers for self diagnosis and triage: audit study

Evaluation of 23 symptom checkers (SCs) that provided advice across a range of conditions identified deficits in both triage and diagnosis. Triage advice from SCs was found to generally be risk averse, encouraging users to seek care for conditions where self-care is reasonable.

According to an editorial, it seems unwise at present to substitute self-help for clinical triage, but the current study shows that some tools are ready for randomised trials and could then become part of a “multichannel” triage strategy. The author adds that before universal self-help triage can be advocated, four challenges need to be considered:

 

 • A tool’s accuracy tells little about its impact on patient outcomes or service use.

• Clinical rapport remains important

• Triage tools may not reflect the way patients describe their symptoms or focus on the symptoms that matter

 • The right evidence is not available to build more accurate, safer, and more effective tools