Comparison of Two Symptom Checkers (Ada and Symptoma) in the Emergency Department: Randomized, Crossover, Head-to-Head, Double-Blinded Study
ABSTRACT
Emergency departments (EDs) are often overcrowded, and nonurgent patients frequently seek care there. Symptom checkers (SCs) provide immediate access to disease suggestions and recommended actions, potentially improving patient flow. However, there is a lack of evidence supporting their direct use by patients.
This study aimed to compare the diagnostic accuracy, safety, usability, and acceptance of two SCs, Ada and Symptoma.
A randomized, crossover, head-to-head, double-blinded study was conducted at University Hospital Erlangen. Adult patients completed both SCs, Ada and Symptoma. The primary outcome was the diagnostic accuracy of SCs, assessed by independent expert raters. Secondary outcomes included SC usability and acceptance.
Results showed that Ada demonstrated higher diagnostic accuracy than Symptoma, and a larger number of patients would recommend Ada and found it easy to use. However, both SCs had a high number of unrecognized potentially life-threatening diagnoses and inappropriate triage advice by Ada. Overall, the trustworthiness of SC recommendations appears questionable.
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