Get your MyChart Symptom Checker Questions Answered with TriHealth Pediatrician, Dr. Doug Cionni!

Check in with TriHealth pediatrician Dr. Doug Cionni below as he answers some commonly asked questions about the MyChart Symptom Checker.

What is MyChart Symptom Checker?

Symptom Checker is a function within MyChart that allows parents to assess your children’s illness symptoms and determine the appropriate next steps. It asks questions about ill symptoms to determine the need for further evaluation, allowing parents to make informed decisions before scheduling appointments with pediatricians.

What are some of the benefits to patients that Symptom Checker provides?

There are several benefits to using Symptom Checker. It gives you the ability to assess your child’s illness symptoms to determine the need for further evaluation on your own schedule. It’s available 24/7, so you can even access it when TriHealth Pediatrics offices are closed.

If Symptom Checker helps you determine that your child’s symptoms don’t require further evaluation, it will still provide some guidance on steps you can take at home to help your child feel better while the illness or injury runs its course. However, if Symptom Checker recommends an office evaluation, it makes it easy to schedule a same day sick appointment for your child online.

How does a patient access Symptom Checker?

Symptom Checker is accessed through MyChart. After signing into your child’s MyChart account, click on the top left corner on the menu. Symptom Checker should be near the top of the drop-down menu.

What types of illness that can be evaluated in Symptom Checker?

We are always exploring adding new illness and markers to Symptom Checker for evaluation. Some symptoms are only available for certain ages and genders. The full list of potential symptoms is below.

Conversely, which symptoms should always bypass Symptom Checker and cause patients to seek immediate care?

Any symptom resulting in serious pain or that you believe can be life threatening should always prompt immediately seeking care. That said, Symptom Checker is designed to ask questions that would quickly identify the need for emergency care if that were the case.

Is Symptom Checker integrated into a patient’s medical record? If so, why would that be helpful?

Symptom Checker does integrate into the patient’s medical record, and this can be helpful in two ways. First, by being directly connected to our medical system, it allows the patient to directly launch e-visits/schedule appointments for further evaluation and care. Second, the questionnaire integration is a helpful way to keep a thorough history of what symptoms a patient is having over time.

Are there any limitations to the advice Symptom Checker can provide?

Symptom Checker is not a replacement for medical care. It is ultimately dependent upon your answer to questions and is unable to physically evaluate a patient. It is designed to cover the most common causes of symptoms and may not be able to recognize rare causes of a symptom. Additionally, children five months and younger should always be brought in for assessment when symptoms are observed, bypassing tools like the Symptom Checker.

Is there a point patients should schedule a visit with their TriHealth pediatrician for non-emergency symptoms, even if Symptom Checker has advised otherwise?

While this tool is designed to help triage patients to come to the office when we think they will need further evaluation/care, it is not a replacement. If you’re worried that your child’s symptoms need further evaluation, you should call you pediatrician to arrange for further evaluation. We are always open to seeing our patients in the office for symptom evaluation and care.

Meet the Physician

Dr. Doug Cionni has been a pediatrician with TriHealth Pediatrics for the past 7 years. Coming from a family with many physicians, Dr. Cionni always knew he wanted to go into medicine. He realized pediatrics was his calling during medical school once he began his pediatric rotation. Outside of work, he spends a lot of time with his wife and three children and also enjoys watching and playing sports, especially golf.

Seamless Health Care for All Stages of Childhood

Finding the right doctor is an important first step in your child’s care. Our physicians are committed to providing compassionate, high-quality care from birth until adulthood. TriHealth provides comprehensive, patient-centered care for children and their families with Cincinnati’s largest network of primary care pediatric providers.