Examining the impact of a symptom assessment application on patient-physician interaction among self-referred walk-in patients in the emergency department (AKUSYM): study protocol for a multi-center, randomized controlled, parallel-group superiority trial
Hendrik Napierala,
Marvin Kopka,
Maria B. Altendorf,
Myrto Bolanaki,
Konrad Schmidt,
Sophie K. Piper,
Christoph Heintze,
Martin Möckel,
Felix Balzer,
Anna Slagman,
Malte L. Schmieding
Affiliations
Hendrik Napierala
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute of General Practice and Family Medicine
Marvin Kopka
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Medical Informatics
Maria B. Altendorf
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Emergency and Acute Medicine and Health Services Research in Emergency Medicine (CVK, CCM)
Myrto Bolanaki
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Emergency and Acute Medicine and Health Services Research in Emergency Medicine (CVK, CCM)
Konrad Schmidt
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute of General Practice and Family Medicine
Sophie K. Piper
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Medical Informatics
Christoph Heintze
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute of General Practice and Family Medicine
Martin Möckel
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Emergency and Acute Medicine and Health Services Research in Emergency Medicine (CVK, CCM)
Felix Balzer
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Medical Informatics
Anna Slagman
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Emergency and Acute Medicine and Health Services Research in Emergency Medicine (CVK, CCM)
Malte L. Schmieding
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Medical Informatics
Abstract Background Due to the increasing use of online health information, symptom checkers have been developed to provide an individualized assessment of health complaints and provide potential diagnoses and an urgency estimation. It is assumed that they support patient empowerment and have a positive impact on patient-physician interaction and satisfaction with care. Particularly in the emergency department (ED), symptom checkers could be integrated to bridge waiting times in the ED, and patients as well as physicians could take advantage of potential positive effects. Our study therefore aims to assess the impact of symptom assessment application (SAA) usage compared to no SAA usage on the patient-physician interaction in self-referred walk-in patients in the ED population. Methods In this multi-center, 1:1 randomized, controlled, parallel-group superiority trial, 440 self-referred adult walk-in patients with a non-urgent triage category will be recruited in three EDs in Berlin. Eligible participants in the intervention group will use a SAA directly after initial triage. The control group receives standard care without using a SAA. The primary endpoint is patients’ satisfaction with the patient-physician interaction assessed by the Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire. Discussion The results of this trial could influence the implementation of SAA into acute care to improve the satisfaction with the patient-physician interaction. Trial registration German Clinical Trials Registry DRKS00028598 . Registered on 25.03.2022
