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.

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has sped up the implementation of telehealth solutions in medicine. A few symptom checkers dedicated for COVID-19 have been described, but it remains unclear whether and how they can affect patients and health systems. Objective This paper demonstrates our experiences with the COVID-19 risk assessment (CRA) tool. We tried to determine who the user of the web-based COVID-19 triage app is and compare this group with patients in 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 analyzed the answers of 248,862 people interacting with an online World Health Organization–based triage tool for assessing the probability of SARS-CoV-2 infection. These users filled in an online questionnaire between April 7 and August 6, 2020. Based on the presented symptoms, risk factors, and demographics, the tool assessed whether the user’s answers were suggestive of COVID-19 and recommended appropriate action. Subsequently, we compared the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of tool users with patients admitted to the Infectious Diseases Admission Room of J. Gromkowski Hospital in Wrocław. Results The CRA tool tended to be used by asymptomatic or oligosymptomatic individuals (171,226 [68.80%] of all users). Most users were young (162,432 [65.27%] were below 40 years of age) and without comorbidities. Only 77,645 (31.20%) of the self-assessment app users were suspected of COVID-19 based on their reported symptoms. On the contrary, most admission room patients were symptomatic—symptoms such as fever, cough, and dyspnea were prevalent in both COVID-19-positive and COVID-19-negative patients. COVID-19-suspected patients in the CRA tool group presented similar COVID-19 symptoms as those who presented to the admission room. These were cough (25,062/40,007 [62.64%] in the CRA tool group vs 138/232 [59.48%] in the admission room group), fever (23,123/40,007 [57.80%] in the CRA tool group vs 146/232 [62.93%] in the admission room group), and shortness of breath (15,157/40,007 [37.89%] in the CRA tool group vs 87/232 [37.50%] in the admission room group). Conclusions The comparison between the symptomatology of the users interacting with the CRA tool and those visiting the admission room revealed 2 major patient groups who could have benefited from the implementation of the self-assessment app in preclinical triage settings. The primary users of the CRA tool were young, oligosymptomatic individuals looking for screening for COVID-19 and reassurance early in the COVID-19 pandemic. The other group were users presenting the typical symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 at that time. The CRA tool recognized these individuals as potentially COVID-19 positive and directed them to the proper level of care. These use cases fulfil the idea of preclinical triage; however...