As patients, we experience many symptoms throughout our lifetime. Sometimes the symptoms are short-lived, but many of us may have ongoing symptoms that have lasted for a while and cannot find a solution. Living with an uncertain disease will negatively impact your mental wellbeing and quality of life.
An online symptom checker might be beneficial in helping to cope and deal with those uncertainties to a certain degree. There are also other additional advantages of using an online symptom checker.
1. It can help you to identify and understand your medical condition
Online symptom checkers usually provide information and explanations related to your symptoms to help you identify and understand your medical condition. Equipped with this information, you will be more empowered to make an informed decision. It may also help you to narrow down the possible related medical conditions and allow you to reach out to doctors from relevant specialties.
2. It can help you to get rid of unnecessary panic and distress
Most often, your symptoms may not be severe. You don’t want to be overwhelmed by unnecessary panic and distress with the vast number of serious diseases shown to you on multiple websites on Google. An online symptom checker may help you sieve out and narrow down the possible conditions related to your symptoms. Of course, it is essential to find an online symptom checker from a trusted source – a reliable database with questions medically reviewed by medical doctors.
3. It can help you better prepare for your consult with the doctor
It takes an average wait time of about 2-3 weeks to get an appointment with your primary care doctor. You can better use your time with a symptom checker before your consult. The symptom checker results might give you an idea and more clarity on the possible conditions related to your symptoms. You can also spend the time waiting to research those conditions to prepare a list of more directed questions for your doctor and have a more fruitful conversation during your visit.
4. It can direct you to the right care at the right time
Remember, the purpose of online symptom checkers is to help you find the right care at the right time. They are meant to help you get information on suggested courses of action and the urgency of taking the next steps, even though they aren’t meant to replace your doctor. Online symptom checkers may act as a first-line triage system, directing you to the hospitals and doctors’ offices if you require medical attention and encouraging those who need care urgently to seek it right away.
5. It can help identify signs of a potentially severe or rare disease
Many online symptom checkers have employed novel technologies in their systems, principally Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques such as machine learning and deep learning. These technologies can help identify early warning signs of potentially severe and alarming diseases.
An online symptom checker that uses such technologies is the Ubie AI Symptom Checker. Medical doctors worldwide carefully review Ubie, and its database is based purely on medical evidence. It asks you important questions about your symptoms to help narrow down the list of possible diseases and provides you with an experience similar to talking to a doctor.
After answering about 20 questions, you can find more detailed information about related diseases. It also provides a guide to accessing appropriate medical care. The web app covers more than 1,000 diseases and is free for use with no registration required.
Why Ubie, and how it’s different from other online symptom checker services?
Compared with other online symptom checkers like K Health or Buoy Health, Ubie provides a comprehensive report, including recommendations on seeing a doctor, a description of possible related conditions, and treatment information. This is the type of information patients most often look for when using an online symptom checker. One particular feature I liked about Ubie is its user interface, which allows users to navigate between buttons quickly and go back and forth between questions with ease. On top of that, the system displays diseases related to the user’s answers after the first 5 to 6 questions, keeping me engaged throughout the questionnaire. Overall, Ubie provides users with a similar experience to a physical doctor visit by asking essential questions, much like how a well-trained doctor would do.
Do try out the Ubie AI Symptom Checker for yourself!
