ArticleBMJ health & care informatics2021
Reliability of COVID-19 symptom checkers as national triage tools: an international case comparison study.
Article in BMJ health & care informatics, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Accuracy of Dental Symptom Checker Web Application in the Singapore Military Population.International dental journal · 2025Article
- Article
- Predictors of COVID-19 From a Statewide Digital Symptom and Risk Assessment Tool: Cross-Sectional Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Article
- Patient Opportunities to Self-Schedule in a Large Multisite, Multispecialty Medical Practice: Program Description and Uptake of 7 Unique Processes for Patients to Successfully Self-Schedule (and Reschedule) Their Medical Appointments.Health services research and managerial epidemiologyArticle
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTriage is a critical component of the pandemic response. It affects morbidity, mortality and how effectively the available healthcare resources are used. In a number of nations the pandemic has sponsored the adoption of novel, online, patient-led triage systems-often referred to as COVID-19 symptom checkers. The current safety and reliability of these new automated triage systems remain unknown.
methodsWe tested six symptom checkers currently in use as triage tools at a national level against 52 cases simulating COVID-19 of various severities to determine if the symptom checkers appropriately triage time-critical cases onward to healthcare contact. We further analysed and compared each symptom checker to determine the discretionary aspects of triage decision-making that govern the automated advice generated.
resultsOf the 52 clinical presentations, the absolute rate of onward referral to any form of healthcare contact was: Singapore 100%, the USA 67%, Wales 65%, England 62%, Scotland 54% and Northern Ireland 46%. Triage decisions were broadly based on either estimates of 'risk' or 'disease severity'. Risk-based symptom checkers were more reliable, with severity-based symptom checkers often triaging time-critical cases to stay home without clinical contact or follow-up.
conclusionThe COVID-19 symptom checkers analysed here were unable to reliably discriminate between mild and severe COVID-19. Risk-based symptom checkers may hold some promise of contributing to pandemic case management, while severity-based symptom checkers-the CDC and NHS 111 versions-confer too much risk to both public and healthcare services to be deemed a viable option for COVID-19 triage.
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