Website positioning: Location matters!
Children’s Minnesota, one of the largest pediatric health systems in the country. licensed Self Care Decision’s symptom checker to help parents 1) assess their child’s symptoms and 2) determine the appropriate level of care needed, if any. The tool is customized for Children’s Minnesota’s primary and acute care options, from Find a Primary Care Clinic or Walk-in Ready Care to Find Urgent or Emergency Care locations.
From the parents’ perspective, the tool is useful and will be used regularly – especially for their birth to 5-year-old child. Children in this age range have symptoms 20x per year. New parents need and appreciate the support!
And from Children’s Minnesota’s point of view, the symptom checker helps direct patients to the right level of care. It raises awareness of the right access points across their network of care.
Q: Where to embed the tool?
A: Anywhere the parent is deciding ‘What to Do?’
For the best results (aka, most helpful to your audience and most utilization), position the symptom checker:
- On the Find Care / Locations web pages (see it just below the Primary care clinic hours and information)
- Patient & Family Helpful Resources
- On the Care & Service menu
Other popular locations:
- On the organization’s home page
- Within the patient portal, adjacent to Schedule an Appointment and Message my Provider
The symptom checker outcome screen offers
- a recommended action and time frame for accessing care
- the best fulfillment options for care, based upon that recommendation.
Not every symptom needs immediate attention. Part of developing parenting skills is learning what symptoms can be treated safely at home.
The best practice is anticipating the patient/parent journey and the best location for supporting decisions – and then adjusting decisions based upon analytics.
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Looking for a smarter way to drive patient engagement? Our Symptom Checker acts as a clinical decision support tool that connects users to the right care at the right time. It integrates seamlessly with your scheduling, virtual visits, and in-person services, making it an ideal component of your digital front door strategy.
