Your.MD – symptom checker app | By Your.MD |
Features
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Clinical review |
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Security and privacy | Does the app:
Read more about safety and security when using apps. Brochures: |
Cost | Free |
How to get the app |
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Your.MD – symptom checker app
Your.MD – symptom checker app
- An app for people who would like to track health parameters, improve their wellbeing or sleep, or check symptoms.
The Your.MD app uses data you input to provide automated advice and guidance about your health. It has 4 main sections:
- Self-care checker: A chatbot to help you decide if you should see a doctor, or if you can self-care. You can check your symptoms, do a self-assessment or ask a question.
- Health A-Z: A directory of information about hundreds of conditions and health topics. The Health A–Z topics can be accessed via the website(external link).
- OneStop Health: Has recommendations for health products and services to help your individual situation.
- Health Journal: A journal feature to log, monitor and track your symptoms.
Note: The app has a disclaimer that while it provides useful information, it's not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you think you may have a medical emergency, immediately call your doctor or the emergency services. Before acting on any of the information in the Your.MD app or symptom checker, consult with your doctor to make sure it is right for you.
For the complete app description, go to the app website(external link) or Google Play(external link), or for a more detailed review, see reviews below.
PROS | CONS |
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✔ Seems to do best with acute cases. |
✘ No research available on the app’s accuracy. This type of app should have published research on its accuracy. |
Clinical review
Reviewer: Jeremy Steinberg, GP, FRNZCGP
Date of review: October 2019
Platform: Android
Version: 3.5.3
Comments: I could not find any published research on the accuracy of the symptom checker, so I assessed the app using 10 cases taken from two medical casebooks ('Acute medicine' and 'Surgery' from the Clinical Cases Uncovered series). A spread of case difficulties was chosen in a non-rigorous fashion. The app version assessed was 3.5.3.
The app got the correct diagnosis in 2/10 of the cases (20%; 95% CI, 0–46%), and the correct triage in 4/10 (40%; 95% CI, 8–72%).
A common theme for the failed cases was that several key questions weren’t asked, such as risk factors for endocarditis in the persistent fever case (infective endocarditis). Sometimes the diagnosis given did not fit with the answers. For example, for the infective endocarditis case, the patient had fevers for several weeks, and Your.MD said they had pseudogout. Pseudogout doesn’t tend to cause fevers and it wouldn’t last for several weeks.
The app often didn’t understand answers (eg, sore nipple for the Paget’s disease question or cut wrist for the ulnar nerve laceration question) or misinterpreted them (such as interpreting bulging eyes as puffy eyelids for the Grave’s disease question). It appeared that the database was quite limited.
Correct diagnosis | Your.MD diagnosis accuracy | Your.MD triage accuracy |
Atrial fibrillation | Fail | Correct |
Gastric ulcer | Correct | Correct |
Pulmonary embolism | Correct | Correct |
Diabetic ketoacidosis | Fail | Correct |
Infective endocarditis | Fail | Fail |
Delirium due to hypercalcaemia | Fail | Fail |
Grave’s disease | Fail | Fail |
Paget’s disease of nipple | Fail | Fail |
Branchial cyst | Fail | Fail |
Ulnar nerve laceration | Fail | Fail |
New Zealand relevance: The health article section is sourced from the NHS and as such is not always relevant to the New Zealand patient.
Safety concerns: There are definitely safety concerns when using this app. There is an apparent high rate of inaccurate diagnoses and triage scores. Do not reply on this app for your diagnosis. If you have concerns about your health, contact your doctor or call HealthLine 0800 611 116. Read more about using symptom checkers safely(external link).
Note: The health tracking part of the app was fair, but was not reviewed in detail.
Resources
References
- A literature review and meta‐analysis of drug company–funded mental health websites(external link) Acta Psychiatr Scand, 2013
- Beyond Dr. Google – the evidence on consumer-facing digital tools for diagnosis(external link) Diagnosis, 2018
- Evaluation of symptom checkers for self diagnosis and triage: audit study(external link) BMJ, 2015
- Online symptom checker diagnostic and triage accuracy for HIV and hepatitis C(external link) Epidemiol Infect. 2019 Jan
Disclaimer: The NZ Health App Library is a free consumer service to help you decide whether a health app would be suitable for you. Our review process is independent. We have no relationship with the app developers or companies and no responsibility for the service they provide. This means that if you have an issue with one of the apps we have reviewed, you will need to contact the app developer or company directly. |
Credits: Healthify editorial team. Healthify is brought to you by Health Navigator Charitable Trust.