Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36287594›Full record

ArticleJournal of medical Internet research2022

Online Symptom Checkers: Recommendations for a Vignette-Based Clinical Evaluation Standard.

Annabelle Painter, Benedict Hayhoe, Eva Riboli-Sasco, Austen El-Osta

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of medical Internet research, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
19citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

19 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Annabelle PainterSelf-Care Academic Research Unit, Department of Primary Care and Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0003-2383-0181
Benedict HayhoeSelf-Care Academic Research Unit, Department of Primary Care and Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0002-2645-6191
Eva Riboli-SascoSelf-Care Academic Research Unit, Department of Primary Care and Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0002-9922-9125
Austen El-OstaSelf-Care Academic Research Unit, Department of Primary Care and Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0002-8772-4938

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The use of patient-facing online symptom checkers (OSCs) has expanded in recent years, but their accuracy, safety, and impact on patient behaviors and health care systems remain unclear. The lack of a standardized process of clinical evaluation has resulted in significant variation in approaches to OSC validation and evaluation. The aim of this paper is to characterize a set of congruent requirements for a standardized vignette-based clinical evaluation process of OSCs. Discrepancies in the findings of comparative studies to date suggest that different steps in OSC evaluation methodology can significantly influence outcomes. A standardized process with a clear specification for vignette-based clinical evaluation is urgently needed to guide developers and facilitate the objective comparison of OSCs. We propose 15 recommendation requirements for an OSC evaluation standard. A third-party evaluation process and protocols for prospective real-world evidence studies should also be prioritized to quality assure OSC assessment.

Indexed as

Prospective StudiesData CollectionHumansassessmentclinical evaluationonline symptom checkersquality assurancestandardsthird-party assessmentvalidation

Identifiers

PMID36287594
PMCPMC9647454

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.