How Symptoms Checker Works

The NowPatient Symptoms Checker is a medically licensed, AI-driven tool that helps you identify possible causes of symptoms you’re experiencing. Simply input your symptoms to receive a comprehensive report detailing potential causes and recommended next steps – all completely free* for registered NowPatient users.

*subject to fair usage policy

No. The Symptoms Checker is available at no cost to all registered NowPatient users, subject to our fair usage policy.

To ensure the service remains available to all users, the Symptoms Checker is limited to 3 uses per month per registered user. This allows adequate access for typical health concerns while maintaining system availability and quality of service for our entire user community.

The symptoms check is conducted through a form-based interview which collects initial evidence before analyzing it and asking additional questions needed to calculate the most probable conditions, split into the following several steps.

Step 1: Introduction/Disclaimer

The form starts with information about the tool and legal disclaimers reminding users it’s not a medical diagnosis.

IMPORTANT: If you are experiencing a medical emergency or your situation feels serious or life-threatening:

• Call emergency services immediately (999 in UK, 911 in US)
• Otherwise, call NHS 111 if you are in England, or request a same-day appointment with your doctor (UK/US)
• Do not rely on this tool for emergency situations

Step 2: Demographics

Age and gender information is collected first, as this is required by the diagnosis engine to properly assign probabilities of conditions.

Step 3: Initial Symptoms Entry

Users can provide their main complaints through a free text entry. Our AI system is designed to understand common symptom descriptions and colloquial language, converting your descriptions into medically recognized terms for accurate analysis.

Step 4: Dynamic Question Interview

Based on the symptoms you have described, the form generates questions dynamically to drive an interview similar to one a doctor would have with you, with questions typically requiring yes/no/don’t know answers. A flexible progress bar shows the current progress of the interview above each question.

The form asks follow-up questions until it has enough information to narrow down the top possible conditions. The interview finishes when the diagnosis is established.

Step 5: Results

At the end of each interview, you receive a list of your most likely conditions with explanations, descriptions, and the recommended level of care you should seek.

If treatments are available, these will also be made available to you, subject to no triaging to other health care providers being recommended.

For users in England, if applicable, you will be shown appropriate NHS services that can be handled remotely by NowPatient’s NHS service clinicians.

If you’re generally healthy without ongoing or rare medical conditions, our tool can help you identify less serious conditions that you can typically manage yourself.

The Symptoms Checker provides medically safe information to help you decide your next steps, including whether you need to see a doctor, visit a hospital emergency department or if you are suitable for a virtual consultation with one of NowPatient’s prescribing clinicians.

For users in England, if applicable, you may be shown NHS services that you may be eligible for and which can be conducted remotely with an NHS service clinician.

• Babies and children under 16
• Pregnant women
• People who are immunosuppressed or taking immunosuppressive treatment
• People with complex or long-term medical conditions

Important Limitations

While the NowPatient Symptoms Checker is a valuable resource, it is not a replacement for a real doctor. We cannot:

• Consider all the information available to a healthcare professional during a physical examination
• Identify every possible condition or symptom you may have
• Always fully understand the information you provide
• Provide medical diagnoses, advice, or treatment recommendations

The Symptoms Checker analyzes your input and provides medically safe information about specific conditions based on data from people with similar characteristics (age, sex, health background) who are generally healthy without chronic or rare conditions.

The report is available at the end of the form interview. In addition, a document report will be made available and can be accessed from ‘Reports & Letters’ section of the account homepage. Reports are retained in your account for 12 months and can be downloaded or shared with your healthcare provider as needed.

The report is for informational purposes only and:

• Is not connected to any medical system
• Does not prescribe any specific course of action
• Is not intended as diagnostic support or triage for healthcare workers
• Provides general health and lifestyle recommendations that don’t refer to your specific clinical situation

Acting on Recommendations

We provide suggestions for next steps, but you should only act on them if you believe they’re appropriate for your situation.

Always consult a doctor if:

• You’re in doubt about your condition
• Your symptoms worsen
• Your symptoms don’t improve

Seek emergency care immediately if:

• Your situation feels serious or life-threatening
• Call emergency services (999 in UK, 911 in US)
• Otherwise, call NHS 111 or request a same-day appointment with your doctor

Your privacy is important to us. All symptom data and assessment results are:

• Stored securely in compliance with UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018
• Encrypted both in transit and at rest
• Never shared with third parties without your explicit consent
• Used only to provide you with the Symptoms Checker service and improve our AI system
• Accessible only to you through your secure NowPatient account
• Retained in line with the NowPatient Data Retention Policy, after which they are automatically deleted

You have the right to access, correct, or delete your symptom checker data at any time through your account settings or by contacting our support team at support@nowpatient.com