Patient Experience and Feedback After Using an Electronic Health Record–Integrated COVID-19 Symptom Checker: Survey Study

Abstract

Background Symptom checkers have been widely used during the COVID-19 pandemic to alleviate strain on health systems and offer patients a 24-7 self-service triage option. Although studies suggest that users may positively perceive web-based symptom checkers, no studies have quantified user feedback after use of an electronic health record–integrated COVID-19 symptom checker with self-scheduling functionality. Objective In this paper, we aimed to understand user experience, user satisfaction, and user-reported alternatives to the use of a COVID-19 symptom checker with self-triage and self-scheduling functionality. Methods We launched a patient-portal–based self-triage and self-scheduling tool in March 2020 for patients with COVID-19 symptoms, exposures, or questions. We made an optional, anonymous Qualtrics survey available to patients immediately after they completed the symptom checker. Results Between December 16, 2021, and March 28, 2022, there were 395 unique responses to the survey. Overall, the respondents reported high satisfaction across all demographics, with a median rating of 8 out of 10 and 288/395 (47.6%) of the respondents giving a rating of 9 or 10 out of 10. User satisfaction scores were not associated with any demographic factors. The most common user-reported alternatives had the web-based tool not been available were calling the COVID-19 telephone hotline and sending a patient-portal message to their physician for advice. The ability to schedule a test online was the most important symptom checker feature for the respondents. The most common categories of user feedback were regarding other COVID-19 services (eg, telephone hotline), policies, or procedures, and requesting additional features or functionality. Conclusions This analysis suggests that COVID-19 symptom checkers with self-triage and self-scheduling functionality may have high overall user satisfaction, regardless of user demographics. By allowing users to self-triage and self-schedule tests and visits, tools such as this may prevent unnecessary calls and messages to clinicians. Individual feedback suggested that the user experience for this type of tool is highly dependent on the organization's operational workflows for COVID-19 testing and care. This study provides insight for the implementation and improvement of COVID-19 symptom checkers to ensure high user satisfaction.

A Decade of Health Information Technology and the Impact on Health Care in the U.S.: Systematic Review (Preprint)

“…33,101 Other effective features included online screening, medication refills, and appointment scheduling tools, along with decision support for self-care and bidirectional portals for sharing personal health information. [102][103][104][105][106] The use of patient-facing technology generated efficiencies of care and costs savings. Studies noted that greater use of patient-facing technology reduced costs for substance use treatment and decreased missed appointments and emergency room visits.…”

Triage and Diagnostic Accuracy of Online Symptom Checkers: Systematic Review

“…OSCs may indeed provide patients with a more personalized assessment than search engines such as Google [ 7 ] and can be used to not only get a diagnosis or a triage recommendation without going to a physician but also learn more about the cause of symptoms or better understand a diagnosis [ 8 ]. Studies focused on COVID-19 OSCs showed that these tools tend to have high overall user satisfaction [ 9 ] and can help support remote care and self-management, thus reducing the demands on clinicians and health services [ 10 ].…”