Most sore throats are of viral origin and often do not require a doctor's visit; nevertheless, in Slovakia we go to the doctor more often than the EU average. Pressure to prescribe antibiotics "just in case" increases costs as well as bacterial resistance. A new digital approach promises quick guidance even before visiting the clinic.
Overburdened clinics and the vicious cycle of antibiotics
ENT physician Ivana Virva describes that patients with sore throat often come in uncertain whether it is a viral or bacterial infection. Statistics, however, show that most of these infections are viral. Slovakia, though, ranks among the leaders in the number of doctor visits, which means overburdened clinics. Unnecessary examinations further increase healthcare costs.
When a patient comes in, doctors often feel pressured to prescribe antibiotics "for peace of mind." That fuels the rise of antibiotic resistance, a major global problem. Infections then become harder to treat and costs rise again.
A throat photo as the entry point to digital triage
The new solution is built on a simple step: the patient photographs their throat with a smartphone, and the software evaluates the risk of bacterial infection within seconds. The goal is to provide rapid triage and a clear recommendation before a person decides to go to the clinic. If it's a viral illness, symptomatic treatment is sufficient; if a bacterial origin is suspected, the system suggests the next steps.
The solution envisions integration with telemedicine, where a patient can obtain an ePrescription or a medical report without an in-person visit. Health insurers, telemedicine platforms, and pharmacies, where patients often seek initial help, may all be interested in such a tool. The ambition is to create a new, widely accessible standard for throat diagnostics.
Accuracy, competition, and potential savings
In a typical clinic, the clinical examination alone has an estimated sensitivity of roughly 50 to 70 percent. A clinical score can raise it, but rapid antigen tests are often performed as a precaution, and they require an in-person visit. The most accurate methods, such as culture or PCR, are more time- or cost-intensive. A digital tool can deliver an immediate result and identify the patients who truly need a doctor.
According to publications by North American competitors (e.g., a team from Johns Hopkins University), similar algorithms achieve a sensitivity of 94 to 97 percent, but their product is still awaiting completion of the FDA process and is not on the market. The authors of the described solution have a working prototype, a filed patent application, an approved clinical study, and a prepared regulatory strategy. This year they want to establish pilot collaborations and test the tool in practice. A model calculation states that for an insurer with 700 000 insured, even 10 percent utilization of triage could bring roughly 100 000 euros per year in savings and about 17 000 fewer doctor visits.
