What Is the NowPatient Symptoms Checker?
The NowPatient Symptoms Checker is a medically licensed, AI-driven tool that helps you identify possible causes of symptoms you are experiencing. Input your symptoms and receive a comprehensive report detailing potential causes and recommended next steps. It is completely free to use for registered NowPatient users, subject to our fair usage policy.
The Symptoms Checker is classified as a Class I medical device under UK MDR 2002 regulations for its intended use. Always consult with your doctor before making medical decisions based on information from our website or app.
Is the Symptoms Checker Free to Use?
Yes. The Symptoms Checker is available at no cost to all registered NowPatient users, subject to our fair usage policy.
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.
Who Can Use the Symptoms Checker?
If you are generally healthy without ongoing or rare medical conditions, the Symptoms Checker can help you identify less serious conditions that you can typically self manage.
The tool 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 whether you are suitable for a virtual consultation with one of NowPatient’s prescribing clinicians.
For users in England, if applicable, you may also be shown NHS services you may be eligible for that can be conducted remotely with an NHS service clinician.
Who Should Not Use the Symptoms Checker?
The Symptoms Checker is not suitable for:
Babies and children under 16
Pregnant women
People who are immunosuppressed or taking immunosuppressive treatment
People who are systematically unwell
People with complex or long-term medical conditions
How to Access and Use the Symptoms Checker
The Symptoms Checker can be found on the AI Health Tools section of your NowPatient account homepage.
To start a symptom check:
Go to the Symptoms Checker Service Card
From the Options menu select ‘Enter Symptoms’
Use your own words to describe how you are feeling. You can add as many symptoms as you want
Answer the follow-up questions from the AI system to help narrow down possible causes
Receive your report with a list of possible causes and suggested next steps
Receive a notification when your report is available.
The report can be accessed in your Documents Folder
Share your report with your healthcare provider if needed
How Does the Symptoms Checker Work?
The symptom check is conducted through a structured interview that collects information in stages, analyses it, and asks follow-up questions to calculate the most
probable conditions. The interview follows five stages:
Stage 1: Introduction and Disclaimer
The service starts with information about how it works and legal disclaimers reminding you that it is not a medical diagnosis. You will also see important guidance about when to seek emergency care.
Stage 2: Demographics
Your age and gender are collected at this stage. This information is required by the diagnosis engine to properly assign probabilities to conditions, as the likelihood of certain conditions varies significantly by age and sex.
Stage 3: Initial Symptoms Entry
You enter your main symptoms using free text, there is no need for medical terminology. The AI system is designed to understand common symptom descriptions and colloquial language, converting your descriptions into medically recognised terms for accurate analysis. You can add as many symptoms as you want.
Stage 4: Dynamic Question Interview
Based on the symptoms you have described, the tool generates follow-up questions dynamically which is similar to how a doctor would interview you. Questions typically require yes, no, or don’t-know answers. A flexible progress bar shows how far through the interview you are. The interview continues until the tool has gathered enough information to identify the most probable conditions.
Stage 5: Results
At the end of the 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 and no triage to other healthcare providers is required, these will also be presented. For users in England, if applicable, appropriate NHS services that can be handled remotely by NowPatient’s NHS service clinicians will also be shown.
How Will My Results Be Made Available?
Your results are available immediately at the end of the form interview. A downloadable document report is also generated and can be accessed from your documents folder. Reports are retained in your account for 12 months and can be downloaded or shared with your healthcare provider at any time.
The tool analyses 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.
What the Report Is & What It Is Not
The report is for informational purposes only. It:
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 do not refer to your specific clinical situation
Acting on Recommendations
The tool provides suggestions for next steps, but you should only act on them if you believe they are appropriate for your situation.
Always consult a doctor if:
You are in doubt about your condition
Your symptoms worsen
Your symptoms do not improve
Seek emergency care immediately if:
Your situation feels serious or life-threatening
Call emergency services: 999 in the UK, 911 in the US
Otherwise, call NHS 111 (England) or request a same-day appointment with your doctor (UK/US)
What Are the Limitations of the Symptoms Checker?
While the NowPatient Symptoms Checker is a valuable resource, it is not a replacement for a doctor or other healthcare provider. The service 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
Data Privacy and Security
Your privacy is important to us. All symptom data and assessment results are:
Stored securely in compliance with UK GDPR and the 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 to improve our AI system
Accessible only to you through your secure NowPatient account
Retained in line with the NowPatient Data Retention Policy (https://nowpatient.com/data-retention-policy), after which they are automatically deleted
You have the right to access, correct, or delete your Symptoms Checker data at any time through your account settings or by contacting our support team at support@nowpatient.com.
Medical Device Classification
The NowPatient Symptoms Checker is classified as a Class I medical device under UK MDR 2002 regulations for its intended use. Always consult with your doctor before making medical decisions based on information from our website or app.