Unveiling Usage Patterns and Explaining Usage of Symptom Checker Apps: Explorative Longitudinal Mixed Methods Study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Symptom checker apps (SCA) aim to enable individuals without medical training to classify perceived symptoms and receive guidance on appropriate actions, such as self-care or seeking professional medical attention. However, there is a lack of detailed understanding regarding the contexts in which individuals use SCA and their opinions on these tools.

Objective

This mixed methods study aims to explore the circumstances under which medical laypeople use SCA and to identify which aspects users find noteworthy after using SCA.

Methods

A total of 48 SCA users documented their medical symptoms, provided open-ended responses, and recorded their SCA use along with other variables over 6 weeks in a longitudinal study. Generalized linear mixed models with and those w

SUBMITTER: Wetzel AJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11667141 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature