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. 2022 Jun 24;24(6):e37209.
doi: 10.2196/37209.

Triage Errors in Primary and Pre-Primary Care

Hai Nguyen #  1   2 , Andras Meczner  1 , Krista Burslam-Dawe  3 , Benedict Hayhoe  3   4
Affiliations

Triage Errors in Primary and Pre-Primary Care

Hai Nguyen et al. J Med Internet Res. .

Abstract

Triage errors are a major concern in health care due to resulting harmful delays in treatments or inappropriate allocation of resources. With the increasing popularity of digital symptom checkers in pre-primary care settings, and amid claims that artificial intelligence outperforms doctors, the accuracy of triage by digital symptom checkers is ever more scrutinized. This paper examines the context and challenges of triage in primary care, pre-primary care, and emergency care, as well as reviews existing evidence on the prevalence of triage errors in all three settings. Implications for development, research, and practice are highlighted, and recommendations are made on how digital symptom checkers should be best positioned.

Keywords: digital symptom checker; emergency care; pre-primary care; primary care; symptom checker; triage; triage errors; viewpoint.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: HN works as an epidemiologist at Your.MD Ltd. AM works as VP Clinical Operations at Your.MD Ltd. BH is a general practitioner working in the National Health Service (NHS), and works for eConsult Health Ltd, a provider of asynchronous consultations for NHS primary, secondary, and urgent/emergency care. KBD is a registered general nurse working in the NHS and also works for eConsult Health Ltd as a Clinical Director for Urgent and Emergency Care.

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