Harvard Study Finds DocResponse Most Accurate Medical Symptom Checker/Diagnostics Application

HOUSTON, July 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- DocResponse was ranked the most accurate symptom checker/diagnostics healthcare technology application in a peer-reviewed study, "Evaluation of symptom checkers for self diagnosis and triage: audit study", published in the July issue of The British Medical Journal (BMJ). The landmark study by Harvard Medical School researchers determined that performance of online symptom checkers varied significantly with DocResponse listing the correct diagnosis first in standardized patient evaluations more often than any of the other applications. These included Harvard Medical School's Family Health Guide, iTriage, Mayo Clinic, the United Kingdom's National Health Service (NHS), and WebMD.

The researchers were motivated by the growing use of online symptom checkers and the fact that until this study there had never been a detailed evaluation about the accuracy of these tools. The wide-scale study, funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, reviewed the accuracy of 23 English-language online symptom checkers that are available to the public at no charge. To test their accuracy the researchers created standardized lists of symptoms from 45 clinical scenarios that are used to teach and test medical students. They found that top-performer DocResponse listed the correct diagnosis first 150 percent more often than iTriage and WebMD and 300 percent more often than the Mayo Clinic's symptom checker. The researchers indicated that the symptom checkers are generally equivalent to telephone triage lines offered by health plans, hospitals and other healthcare organizations and they are more accurate for self-diagnosis than general Internet search engines such as Google.

"It is gratifying that DocResponse was a top performer in this study," stated Founder and CEO Tarek Fahl, M.D., F.A.A.O.S. "This validates that with the right team in place, the ability to develop and deploy innovative technology, and a passionate commitment to educating patients and supporting physicians, a startup like ours can outperform established industry giants. However, we're not satisfied with the status quo and are seeking funding to support our continuous improvement efforts. We're confident that we will achieve even greater accuracy in future generations. We truly believe we can help revolutionize healthcare." 

The DocResponse application was built on a unique algorithm developed by a team of board certified physician specialists in multiple disciplines working with technology experts. Users answer a series of targeted, yet simple questions and the algorithm provides comprehensive and precise results within a few minutes. These include triage recommendations and any necessary follow-up care in addition to the most likely diagnoses.

DocResponse has quickly established itself among users as a reliable and valuable source of healthcare information. In a survey of over 4,000 users, roughly 90 percent stated they would use DocResponse again, and more than 45 percent stated DocResponse saved them a trip to the emergency room or their physician.

DocResponse is filling a void as healthcare delivery and reimbursement continue to transition from volume-based to value-based and consumers demand the same positive online experience and capabilities they take for granted in other industries such as retail, finance, travel and hospitality. This is driving demand for DocResponse's enterprise solutions for patient/wellness portals, health plans, hospitals/health systems, accountable care organizations and other risk-sharing organizations, self-insured employers, electronic health record (EHR)/ other health information technology (HIT) vendors, telehealth/telemedicine companies and others, which is helping to fuel the startup's steady growth.  

About DocResponse
DocResponse is a state-of-the-art symptom checker/diagnostics application and website developed by a team of board certified physicians with decades of combined experience in academics and private practice. The user-friendly app was developed to enhance patients' medical knowledge and to help them narrow down potential diagnoses along with conservative treatment options to try and appropriate follow-up care. In addition to its direct-to-consumer version, DocResponse is available for enterprise solutions for hospitals, wellness portals, telemedicine, and more. DocResponse is available on iTunes, Google Play and at DocResponse.com.

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SOURCE DocResponse

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