Online symptom checkers: Recommendations for a vignette-based clinical evaluation standard (Preprint)
OA Location
Author(s)
Painter, Annabelle
Hayhoe, Benedict
Riboli-Sasco, Eva
El-Osta, Austen
Type
Working Paper
Abstract
The use of patient-facing online symptom checkers (OSCs) has expanded in recent years, but their accuracy, safety, and impact on patient behaviours and healthcare systems remains unclear. The lack of a standardised process of clinical evaluation has resulted in significant variation in approaches to OSC validation and objective evaluation of outcomes. The aim of this paper is to characterise a set of congruent requirements for a standardised 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 standardised process with a clear specification for vignette-based clinical evaluation is urgently needed to guide developers and to 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 prioritised to quality assure OSC assessment.
Date Issued
2022-09-05
Citation
2022
Publisher
JMIR Publications Inc.
Copyright Statement
© The authors. All rights reserved. This is a privileged document currently under peer-review/community review (or an accepted/rejected manuscript). Authors have provided JMIR Publications with an exclusive license to publish this preprint on it's website for review and ahead-of-print citation purposes only. While the final peer-reviewed paper may be licensed under a cc-by license on publication, at this stage authors and publisher expressively prohibit redistribution of this draft paper other than for review purposes.
License URL
Identifier
https://preprints.jmir.org/preprint/42481
Publication Status
Published