Self-triage for acute primary care via a smartphone application. Practical, safe and efficient?
Vind de dichtstbijzijnde huisartsenpost bij jou in de buurt. De huisartsenpost biedt spoedzorg in avond, nacht en weekenden wanneer u niet kunt wachten tot de eigen huisarts weer beschikbaar is.
Objective
We aimed to investigate whether the smartphone application Should I see the 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 setting
A prospective, cross-sectional study amongst app users in a routine primary care setting.
Methods
The 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.
Results
The 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 the users received the advice to contact the clinic, 34% received a self-care advice and 8% was advised to wait-and-see. 65% of the 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 case of 81% of the 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.
Conclusion
The app Should I see the 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.
References
Bent u benieuwd naar onze ontwikkelingen?
In onze maandelijkse release notes leest u hier meer over