Application of self-assessment triage tool in COVID-19 pandemic (Preprint)

BACKGROUND (-) OBJECTIVE COVID-19 pandemic has sped up the implementation of telehealth solutions in medicine. This paper demonstrates our experiences with the COVID-19 Risk Assessment Tool. We tried to determine who is the user of the web-based COVID-19 triage application and compare this group with the patients of the infectious diseases ward’s admission room to evaluate who could benefit from implementing the COVID-19 online symptom checker as a remote triage solution. METHODS We have analyzed the answers of more than 650 000 people interacting with an online WHO-based triage tool for assessing the probability of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Based on the presented symptoms, risk factors, and demographics, the tool has assessed if the user’s answers are suggestive of COVID-19 and recommended appropriate action. Subsequently, we have compared “patient profiles” of tool users with patients admitting to the Infectious Diseases Admission Room. RESULTS COVID-19 Risk Assessment tool tended to be used by asymptomatic or oligosymptomatic individuals, which constituted 70.58% of all users. The majority of users were young (67.30% were below 40 years of age) and without significant comorbidities. On the contrary, most admission room patients were symptomatic - symptoms like fever, cough and dyspnea were prevalent in both covid positive and negative patients. COVID-suspected patients in the self-assessment tool presented similar COVID-19 symptoms as those who presented to the admission room. These were: cough (66.51% in self-assessment tool, 59.48% in the admission room, P=.03), fever (57.79% in the self-assessment tool, 62,93% in the admission room, P=.13), and shortness of breath (8.73% in the self-assessment tool vs. 37.50% in the admission room, P<.001). CONCLUSIONS The self-assessment COVID-19 tool, as it served as the means of screening and self-education, did not substitute for the consultation in the admission room for symptomatic patients. It seems that these types of solutions may serve as health information hubs for oligosymptomatic individuals, as well as a way of identifying and advising patients at risk. It fulfils the idea of remote, pre-clinical triage, however, the accuracy and influence on healthcare must be examined in the clinical setting.