Triage Errors in Primary and Pre–Primary Care (Preprint)

Abstract

UNSTRUCTURED Triage errors are a major concern in healthcare due to resulting harmful delays in treatments or inappropriate allocation of resources. With increasing popularity of digital symptom checkers in pre-primary care settings, and amid claims that AI outperforms doctors, the accuracy of triage by digital symptom checkers is ever more scrutinised. This paper examines the context and challenges of triage in primary, pre-primary and emergency care, as well as reviews existing evidence on the prevalence of triage errors in all three settings. Implications for development, research and practice are highlighted, and recommendations made on how digital symptom checkers should be best positioned.