22% (6.5 million) of Canadians do not have a family physician. Getting the right medical care can sometimes be a challenge—one that threatens our well-being and the overall efficiency of our healthcare system.
So, what do you do when you aren’t feeling well if you don’t have a family doctor or need to decide whether a health issue is urgent if it’s not immediately clear?
That’s where self-triage comes in—being able to assess your own symptoms and determine the best course of action for treatment. It allows you to make better decisions about when and where to seek medical care.
Whether it’s a mild headache or a sudden rash, knowing when to handle it yourself and when to seek professional help can save time, reduce stress, and even prevent unnecessary emergency room visits.
Understanding Self-Triage
Triage was developed during the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century to help prioritize the level of urgency for soldiers’ care on the battlefield. This practice moved from the battlefield to hospitals and helps maximize resources in emergency room settings where there are mass casualties. You are probably familiar with this practice if you have ever visited an emergency room and had your symptoms assessed before being admitted.
Self-triage has evolved from this early process. It uses digital tools such as online questionnaires, AI chatbots, and telemedicine consultations to assess medical needs before in-person care.
During the pandemic, living in a virtual world became our reality. We socialized over video calls, continued working from home through an online landscape, and received medical care virtually.
Self-triage became more prevalent through COVID-19. Healthcare professionals were able to assess symptoms remotely during a time when the healthcare system was under enormous strain and containing the spread of the virus was vital. It was an effective and efficient way to direct patients to the correct level of care in real time.
For mild illnesses, minor injuries, and routine health concerns, self-triage is a quick way to assess whether over-the-counter solutions will suffice or if it is prudent to visit a walk-in clinic or emergency room. Conditions like small scrapes or cuts, headaches, or colds are examples of when using a symptom checker can help decide the next steps without unnecessarily spending countless hours in a waiting room.
However, there are conditions where self-triage is not enough, and immediate medical attention should be sought. Chest pains, slurred speech, difficulty breathing, inability to urinate, or deep lacerations are examples of when to go straight to the emergency room.
The Benefits of Self-Triage
- Quick, simple, and easy to use
- Removes barriers like long wait times, distance, and the need for in-person visits
- Reduces the strain on busy clinics and emergency departments
- Gives you a personalized experience, directing you to the appropriate care based on your symptoms
- Helps get urgent care to those who need it quickly, without unnecessary ER visits
- Allows you to take charge of your health by learning more about your symptoms and treatment options
Workflow of Self-Triage
The basic principles of self-triage are assessing the severity of your symptoms, durations, and impact of symptoms. The steps are straightforward and easy to navigate. The following is an example:
Step 1: Assess Symptoms:
You will provide information such as age and gender. Depending on the application, you will identify your symptoms by selecting through a list or typing each in.
- Is it a new symptom or a chronic issue?
- Is it worsening or improving?
- Rate the pain or discomfort (e.g., mild, moderate, severe)
- How long have the symptoms been present?
Step 2: Categorize Your Symptoms:
Once you have input all your symptoms, you may be asked for additional information like:
- Do you have any pre-existing conditions?
- Are there any additional risk factors (i.e. smoking, recent travel history, alcohol consumption)?
- Do you have symptoms that require immediate attention (e.g., trouble breathing, severe pain, confusion)
Step 3: Make an Informed Decision:
At the end of the self-triage, the algorithm will evaluate your symptoms and recommend the next steps. The symptom checker will categorize the level of urgency required. These could include:
- At-home care can be recommended for mild issues like colds, mild cuts, or minor headaches.
- Urgent care/doctor visit for symptoms that may require medical attention
- Emergency and immediate care for more serious symptoms such as chest pain or trouble breathing.
The Role of Telemedicine
Self-triage has given rise to telemedicine. Telemedicine provides Canadians without a family doctor greater access to healthcare from the comfort of their homes with timely consultations and response time for diagnosis and treatment.
The convenience of virtual appointments helps minimize the need for in-person visits to clinics and hospitals. The 21st century integrates digital and virtual technologies and combines self-care with healthcare as more people take an active role in managing their well-being.
The Limitations of Self-Triage
While self-triage is an excellent tool for preliminary assessments, there are some limitations that should not be overlooked. The tools rely on algorithms and pre-set criteria that navigate you through the assessment, which can lead to:
- Risk of misdiagnosis
- Overlooking serious conditions
- Underestimating symptoms
- Missing the nuances of more complex conditions
It is important to understand when medical intervention is needed, such as high fever, chronic health conditions, or if symptoms persist or worsen.
Tools and Resources for Self-Triage
Self-triage isn’t as daunting as you make think. The steps are straightforward and easy. Some popular self-triage apps and websites you can use include:
- My Health Alberta – an online symptom checker for residents of Alberta.
- Government of New Brunswick – an online symptom checker for residents of New Brunswick
- Health811 – an assessment tool for the province of Ontario similar to Alberta and New Brunswick.
- Symptomate – a free self-service symptom checker
- Goevisit – available across Canada. Cost for individual $10/month or $99.95 annually for unlimited visits; $15/month or $149.95 annually for immediate family members.
- Isabel – no charge for this self-triage app, very simple and quick to use. Once you input your age, gender, and symptoms the site takes you to a new screen with possible causes and where to get care. This is indicated on a colour-coded scale that runs green, yellow, and red.
- Ada – an app used to check symptoms at any time. You answer questions regarding your health and what you are feeling, and the AI of the app quickly assesses and provides you a list of possible causes and recommended next steps. The app includes setting for 7 languages (English, French, German, Swahili, Portuguese, Spanish, and Romanian) and provides educational content on health issues.
- Maple – $79.99 per month for 24/7 virtual care for you and your family (telemedicine).
- Telus My Care – more about virtual visits (telemedicine).
- Felix – initial consult $40 with unlimited follow-ups. They have other specialized programs such as weight loss and menopause for $99 (renewal is $40) which includes consult, unlimited follow-ups, symptom specific treatment plans. (telemedicine).
- CAMH – convenient and confidential mental health virtual urgent care for people who live in Toronto.
Hospitals are also offering virtual emergency departments that help support people who have an urgent but non-life-threatening medical problem, like a sprain, urinary tract infection, sinus infection, body aches and more.
- Toronto’s Virtual Emergency Department
- Sick Kids Hospital
- Newfoundland and Labrador Virtual Care Program
- Nova Scotia
You can also implement a few practical things to manage your health, your child’s health, or aging parents’ health confidently.
- Keep a journal to track changes in symptoms. This can help you spot patterns or trends that may aggravate a condition.
- Learn basic first aid so you are prepared to handle minor injuries. Having a well-stocked first-aid kit and over-the-counter medications on hand helps manage mild conditions at home. You can buy first-aid kits at any pharmacy or mass merchandiser in Canada at a reasonable cost.
- Educate yourself on the signs of serious conditions, like heart attack or stroke, so that you can act immediately. Also, read about your existing conditions to increase your health literacy to make better decisions. Basic medical knowledge always helps.
- Wearable tech like smartwatches, fitness trackers, and at-home blood pressure monitors are great tools to track vital signs and symptoms.
Self-triage helps you take control of your health by providing quick and easy ways to assess your symptoms and figure out what steps to take, especially in non-emergency situations. It can help you feel more informed and confident in managing your well-being, particularly if you don’t have a family doctor or need care outside regular hours. That said, self-triage is not a replacement for professional medical advice. Knowing when to seek help is as important as knowing when to manage your symptoms at home.
If you’re looking to be more proactive about your health, try downloading a symptom checker app and taking the time to learn more about self-care—it’s a simple step toward being more proactive in your healthcare journey.
~Read more from The Health Insider~
- Not Everything Is An Emergency: How To Self-Triage For Faster Care
Self-triage, symptom checker, virtual triage, digital front door, are all digital solutions that offer 24/7 access to healthcare information in determining the level of care needed when you aren’t feeling well. - Crossing Borders for Care: The Rise of Medical Tourism for CanadiansFrom knee surgeries to stem cell therapies: What’s driving Canadians to skip the line at home and head abroad for care?
- Travelling With a Medical Condition? You’d Better Read This FirstTravelling safely with a medical condition is no joke, but with advance preparation, you can leave with confidence. Here are 9 crucial tips.
The information provided on TheHealthInsider.ca is for educational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical advice. TheHealthInsider.ca advises consulting a medical professional or healthcare provider when seeking medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment.
