The evolution of the COVID-19 Symptom Checker
Published: 27 August 2020
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia in March and April 2020, people were very concerned about the symptoms of the disease.
In March 2020 Healthdirect Australia published the healthdirect COVID-19 Symptom Checker, a self-guided clinical digital tool to support people unsure if they are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or what action they should take.
The Symptom Checker is based on a clinical triage algorithm where users answer a series of questions about themselves.
“Our job is to help people get the right healthcare when they need it. We do this by providing information and advice that is easy-to-use and understand over the phone and via digital channels,” says Dr Osanda Wijeratne, Clinical Service Director at Healthdirect Australia.
healthdirect’s COVID-19 Symptom Checker has been used more than three million times.
“We knew people were looking for information about their symptoms as it was the top question on the National Coronavirus Helpline, which we also manage. So we adapted our existing online healthdirect Symptom Checker which has a great user interface, and translated the COVID-19 medical information into a format that could provide a clear path for people concerned about their symptoms,” says Dr Wijerantne.
The COVID-19 Symptom Checker also connects to the existing Symptom Checker for users experiencing symptoms that do not match those for COVID-19, so they get the help they need.
More than symptoms in the COVID-19 Symptom Checker
Initially the COVID-19 Symptom Checker covered more than the illness symptoms of fever, cough and sore throat. Users were also asked for information to contextualise their symptoms, such as contact with known or suspected cases, and recent travel from high-risk countries or cruise liners.
“This type of information was particularly important in the early days of COVID-19 when most cases were from overseas travellers rather than community transmission. These questions were removed as they became redundant for meeting testing criteria,” says Dr Wijeratne.
Based on their information and symptoms, the Symptom Checker provided advice on what each user should do next, which could include caring for themselves at home, self-isolating, seeking a consultation with a GP (after calling ahead first) to see if they need to get tested or visiting an emergency department.
As the situation evolved, testing clinics opened, GPs no longer needed to refer all suspected cases, and the Symptom Checker was linked to the healthdirect Service Finder so users could locate a testing clinic nearby.
A central point for the right advice in all state and territory health systems
As a clinical triage tool, the COVID-19 Symptom Checker is designed to provide people with safe and practical next steps to help them get the right care for their situation, wherever they are located.
To be effective, advice provided by the Symptom Checker needed to align with the health system in the user’s local area and correctly connect them to local healthcare services.
“As the pandemic unfolded, this became particularly important as community transmission increased and the states and territories independently evolved their testing eligibility criteria and management of suspected COVID-19 cases,” says Dr Wijeratne.
Additionally, in the early days of the pandemic, the case definition for COVID-19 from the Communicable Disease Network Australia was updated numerous times, requiring changes to the Symptom Checker to ensure users always received the right outcome.
As of 30 June 2020, the COVID-19 Symptom Checker had been updated 35 times to account for guideline and testing changes.
“We work closely with the Department of Health, the CMO’s office and health departments to ensure our tool is accurate every step of the way.”
Adapting the COVID-19 Symptom Checker for the National Coronavirus Helpline
The National Coronavirus Helpline, operated by Healthdirect Australia, has received more than one million calls with the top question consistently relating to COVID-19 symptoms. Call handlers use the COVID-19 Symptom Checker to help callers understand their symptoms and whether they need to seek medical help.
In June, to better manage demand on the helpline, Healthdirect Australia adapted the COVID-19 Symptom Checker into an interactive voice recording (IVR). Before reaching a call handler, callers can use their dial pad to answer the IVR Symptom Checker questions. The information and advice they receive is the same as if they had spoken to a call handler. The caller can, at any time, exit the IVR and speak to a call handler. If dial pad entries from the caller indicate poor progress through the IVR options, the caller is automatically transferred to a call handler.
Callers to the helpline can also choose to have a text message sent to them with a link to the online COVID-19 Symptom Checker.
Accessing the COVID-19 Symptom Checker
The healthdirect COVID-19 Symptom Checker has been used more than three million times. It is available on healthdirect.gov.au and the healthdirect app.
It was used as a key digital tool in the Australian Government’s response to COVID-19, accessible across its websites including australia.gov.au and health.gov.au, its WhatsApp channel and official COVID-19 app. It is also available on the Australian Digital Health Agency’s COVID-19 mini-site and the homepages of many health organisations including Primary Health Networks.
In May 2020, a Google search for ‘COVID symptoms’ provided the healthdirect Symptom Checker at the top of search results.
Last reviewed: August 2020