Editor's note:For the latest news on coronavirus disease 2019, visit https://www.aappublications.org/news/2020/01/28/coronavirus.
To manage patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is vital to be able to consistently and accurately measure individual-level disease severity in relation to a patient’s risk.
The Vienna Vaccine Safety Initiative (ViVI, https://www.vi-vi.org), a scientific think tank and nonprofit research organization, developed the ViVI Disease Severity Score Mobile App to support clinicians at the point of care. The ViVI Disease Severity Score is a prospectively validated, evidence-based disease severity score for influenza-like illness and acute respiratory infections that can be used in children and adults. The score captures both respiratory and non-respiratory signs and symptoms.
The app allows clinicians to assess severity and risk in patients with influenza-like illness and/or other acute respiratory infections in real time, such as in an emergency department or physician’s office. It is sufficiently granular to measure the entire spectrum of disease — from absence of symptoms to mild to very severe. It can be used to assess infants and children. The app creates an actionable disease severity score, as well as a risk factor score, within two to three minutes using a series of yes/no questions.
Users can request access to the ViVI Disease Severity Score Mobile App at https://score.vi-vi.org. Once an account is established, users can download the app to iOS and Android devices for free and collaborate.
Dr. Rath is a member of the AAP Council on Clinical Information Technology.
If you would like to share a firsthand experience using technology, such as software, program, app, widget, etc., to improve patient care or practice management, email submissions of 250 words or less to Lisa Krams at [email protected].
