STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

St. Luke’s Wood River is now offering a new COVID-19 self-triage tool for patients.

 The tool may be useful for those who are concerned about whether they should be tested if they think they have COVID-19 symptoms or may have been exposed.

Those wishing to assess themselves can do so at https://www.stlukesonline.org/symptom-checker#.

Scroll  down on the website under this self-triage tool  (https://www.stlukesonline.org/symptom-checker#/app;age=29;units=years;gender=female/symptom-checker/guides/399/what-to-do) to do the symptom checker at the bottom. Click on the symptom checker. Then put in your age info, hit check symptom, and then hit chest – the chest is where COVID symptoms are located.

Emergency warning signs may include trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion, bluish lips or face, according to recent guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control. Anyone experiencing a medical emergency should call 911.

The self-test is also available through our myChart app/website: https://mychart.slhs.org/MyChart/Authentication/Login?.

After a patient logs in to myChart, the symptom checker tool walks them through screening questions to help them know whether to stay home or advance to their doctor’s office. It also offers suggestions for how to care for themselves if they’re feeling sick.

This is not a substitute for primary care providers, stressed Joy Prudek, public relations manager for St. Luke’s Wood River. Rather, it is an option available that the staff hopes will help reduce the impact on urgent and quick care clinics and help reduce people’s exposure to people who are sick, or think they may be.

More information about the tool can be found at https://www.stlukesonline.org/symptom-checker#/app;age=29;units=years;gender=female/symptom-checker/guides/363/what-to-do