ArticlePloS one2018
Self-triage for acute primary care via a smartphone application: Practical, safe and efficient?
Article in PloS one, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 50 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
50 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 86 citations in OpenAlex.
- Triage and Diagnostic Accuracy of Online Symptom Checkers: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Pooled it
- Challenges in evaluating the accuracy of AI-containing digital triage systems: A systematic review.PloS one · 2022Pooled it
- Prevalence, aetiologies and prognosis of the symptom cough in primary care: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC family practice · 2021Pooled it
- Digital interventions for parents of acutely ill children and their treatment-seeking behaviour: a systematic review.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2020Pooled it
- Digital and online symptom checkers and health assessment/triage services for urgent health problems: systematic review.BMJ open · 2019Pooled it
- Impact of a Symptom Checker App on Patient-Physician Interaction Among Self-Referred Walk-In Patients in the Emergency Department: Multicenter, Parallel-Group, Randomized, Controlled Trial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Trial
- Evaluating digital triage symptom checker with historical triage-related adverse events.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2026Article
- Authentication status and AI triage concordance among care seekers in a US health system.npj health systems · 2026Article
- Meeting the primary care needs of communities where they are: mobile primary care clinics, test and try evaluation, Nova Scotia Canada.BMC primary care · 2026Article
- Parental Ability to Identify Severe Illnesses in Their Children.JAMA network open · 2026Article
- How to Evaluate the Accuracy of Symptom Checkers and Diagnostic Decision Support Systems: Symptom Checker Accuracy Reporting Framework (SCARF).JMIR human factors · 2026Article
- The 116117 Help Line in Germany: Patient Assistance by Telephone Versus Online Self-Assessment.Deutsches Arzteblatt international · 2026Article
- Navigating chest pain online: who uses health information and what actions follow?BMC primary care · 2025Article
- Digital healthcare interventions to support parents with acutely ill children at home: A systematic review.PLOS digital health · 2025Article
- Development and usability evaluation of a mHealth application for prehospital triage.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Improving Safety, Efficiency, Cost, and Satisfaction Across a Musculoskeletal Pathway Using the Digital Assessment Routing Tool for Triage: Quality Improvement Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Article
- Accuracy of Dental Symptom Checker Web Application in the Singapore Military Population.International dental journal · 2025Article
- Accuracy of online symptom assessment applications, large language models, and laypeople for self-triage decisions.NPJ digital medicine · 2025Article
- Exploring Laypersons' Experiences With a Mobile Symptom Checker App as an Interface Between eHealth Literacy, Health Literacy, and Health-Related Behavior: Qualitative Interview Study.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSince the start of out-of-hours (OOH) primary care clinics, the number of patient consultations has been increasing. Triage plays an important role in patient selection for a consultation, and in providing reassurance and self-management advice.
objectiveWe aimed to investigate whether the smartphone application "Should I see a doctor?" (in Dutch:"moet ik naar de dokter?") could guide patients in appropriate consultation at OOH clinics by focusing on four topics: 1) app usage, 2) user satisfaction, 3) whether the app provides the correct advice, and 4) whether users intend to follow the advice. DESIGN AND
settingA prospective, cross-sectional study amongst app users in a routine primary care setting.
methodsThe app is a self-triage tool for acute primary care. A built-in questionnaire asked users about the app's clarity, their satisfaction and whether they intended to follow the app's advice (n = 4456). A convenience sample of users was phoned by a triage nurse (reference standard) to evaluate whether the app's advice corresponded with the outcome of the triage call (n = 126). Suggestions of phoned participants were listed.
resultsThe app was used by patients of all ages, also by parents for their children, and mostly for abdominal pain, skin disorders and cough. 58% of users received the advice to contact the clinic, 34% a self-care advice and 8% to wait-and-see. 65% of users intended to follow the app's advice. The app was rated as 'neutral' to 'very clear' by 87%, and 89% were 'neutral' to 'very satisfied'. In 81% of participants the app's advice corresponded to the triage call outcome, with sensitivity, specificity, positive- and negative predictive values of 84%, 74%, 88% and 67%, respectively.
conclusionThe app "Should I see a doctor?" could be a valuable tool to guide patients in contacting the OOH primary care clinic for acute care. To further improve the app's safety and efficiency, triaging multiple symptoms should be facilitated, and more information should be provided to patients receiving a wait-and-see advice.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.