Our Symptom Checker care guides are derived from the professional protocols used by nurses in medical call centers and physician practices. The content is rigorously reviewed by panels of healthcare professionals, comprised of:
- Call center medical directors
- Primary care physicians
- Emergency physicians
- Physician specialists
- Triage nurses
- Specialty nurses
Each year, once the review process is completed for the professional protocol versions, the Symptom Checker content is edited to ensure its compatibility and consistency with any updates made. The care guides are updated based upon recent medical literature, recent national guidelines, quality improvement projects, research, expert reviews and feedback from clients and users.
Reviewers
The Authors are grateful to the following individuals, for their time and expertise in reviewing some of the pediatric clinical content that has been incorporated into these guidelines.
Medical Directors of Call Centers
- Peter Dehnel, MD, Children’s Physician Network, Minneapolis, MN
- Lee‐Anne Facey‐Crowther, MD, Sykes Assistance Services Corporation, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Andrew Hertz, MD, Rainbow Babies Children’s Hospital, Cleveland, OH
- Susan MacLean, MD, Sykes Assistance Services Corporation, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Gary Marks, DO, CHWS, Asante Nurse Call Center, Oregon
- Peter O’Hanley, MD, Sykes Assistance Services Corporation, Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada
- Randy Sterkel, MD, St. Louis Children’s Hospital, St. Louis, MO
- Debra Weiner, MD, Citra Health Solutions, Portland, ME (former)
- Elaine Donoghue, MD, St. Peter’s Medical Center Call Center; New Brunswick, NJ (former)
- Hanna Sherman, MD, Boston Children’s Hospital Call Center; Boston, MA (former)
Emergency Medicine Specialists
- Lalit Bajaj, MD, Children’s Hospital Colorado
- Joan Bothner, MD, Children’s Hospital Colorado
- Alison Brent, MD, Children’s Hospital Colorado
- J. Michael Connors, MD, Anytime Pediatrics, Knoxville, TN
- Michael DiStefano, MD, Children’s Hospital Colorado
- Joseph Grubenhoff, MD, Children’s Hospital Colorado
- David Thompson, MD, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL; Author of Adult Clinical Content for Telephone Triage and Advice
Community Pediatrician Advisory Board: Children’s Hospital Colorado
- Vincent DiMaria, MD, Arapahoe Park Pediatrics, Littleton, CO
- Matt Dorighi, MD, Cherry Creek Pediatrics, Denver, CO
- John Guenther MD, Fort Collins Youth Clinic, Fort Collins, CO
- Daniel Feiten, MD, Greenwood Pediatrics, Centennial, CO
- Nancy Greer, MD, Broomfield Pediatrics, Broomfield, CO
- Michael Kurtz, MD, Advanced Pediatric Associates, Aurora, CO
- Jay Markson, MD, Children’s Medical Center, Denver, CO
- Robert Mauro, MD, Greenwood Pediatrics, Littleton, CO
- Martha Middlemist, MD, Pediatrics at 5280, Englewood, CO
- Stefan Mokrohisky, MD, Kaiser Permanente, Denver, CO
- Michelle Stanford, MD, Centennial Pediatrics, Centennial, CO
Community Pediatrician Advisory Board: St. Louis Children’s Hospital
- Jay Epstein, MD, Community Pediatrician, Forest Park Pediatrics
- Katherine Kreusser, MD, Community Pediatrician, Children’s Clinic
- Steve Lillpop, MD, Community Pediatrician, Jacksonville Pediatrics
- Jerome O’Neil, MD, Community Pediatrician, Southwest Pediatrics
- Rachel Orscheln, MD, Infectious Disease, Washington University SOM
- Casey Pruitt, MD, Pediatric Hospitalist, St. Louis Children’s Hospital
- Isabel Rosenbloom, MD, Community Pediatrician, Tots Thru Teens Pediatrics
- Randy Sterkel, MD, Answer Line Medical Director, Community Pediatrician,
- Esse Health Pediatrics
Telephone Triage Nurses: Children’s Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO
- Teresa Baird, RN
- Teresa Hegarty, RN
- Kris Light, RN
- Liz Lindvall, RN
- Jaime Klein, RN
- Kathleen Martinez, RN
- Kelli Massaro, RN
- Deanna Miller, RN
- Ann Petersen‐Smith, RN, PNP
- Nicole Thede, RN
Telephone Triage Nurses: Other Sites
- Audra Bailey, RN, Aurora, CO
- Amy Barrett, RN, Portland, OR
- Charlene Brophy, RN, Newfoundland, Canada
- Sharon Cartaya, RN, Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Katrina Davis, RN, PNP, Salem, OR
- Suzie Draper, RN, Denver, CO
- Jeanine Feirer, RN, Unity, WI
- Lynne Linden, RN, Minneapolis, MN
- Melissa Masson, RN, London, Ontario, Canada
- Heather Macleod, RN, Minneapolis, MN
- Cheryl Patterson, RN, Evergreen, WA
- Teresa Pounds, RN, Maryville, TN
- Lisa Swerczek, RN, St. Louis, MO
- Suzanne Wells, RN, St. Louis, MO
Pediatric Subspecialists: Children’s Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO (unless otherwise noted)
- Adolescent Medicine: David Kaplan, MD, Trina Anglin, MD, Eric Sigel, MD, Karolyn Kabir, MD, Amy Sass, MD
- Allergy: James Shira, MD, Dan Atkins MD
- Behavior: Ayelet Talmi, PhD, Jeff Dolgan, MD, James Tulloch, MD, Kimberly Kelsay, MD
- Breastfeeding: Maya Bunik, MD, Lisbeth Gabrielski, RN, Marianne Neifert, MD
- Cardiology: Michael Schaffer, MD, James Wiggins, MD, Robert Wolfe, MD, Henry Sondheimer, MD
- Child Abuse: Andrew Sirotnak, MD, Antonia Chiesa, MD
- Dentistry: William Mueller, DDS; Elizabeth A. Shick, DDS
- Dermatology: Anna Bruckner, MD, William Weston, MD, James Fitzpatrick MD, dermatologist and curator of Dermatology Images
- Diabetes: Georgeanna Klingensmith, MD; Jennifer Kyllo, MD, McNeely Diabetes Center, Children’s Hospital of Minnesota
- Ear Nose and Throat (ENT): Kenneth Chan, MD
- Endocrinology: Michael Kappy, MD
- Gastroenterology (GI): David Brumbaugh, MD, Sara Fidanza, RN, PNP, Glenn Furuta, MD, Michael Narkewicz, MD, Jason Soden, MD, Judy Sondheimer, MD, Ronald Sokol, MD
- General Pediatrics: Steven Poole, MD, Stephen Berman, MD, Robert Brayden, MD, Brandi Freeman, MD, Allison Kempe, MD, Maya Bunik, MD
- Hematology: Taru Hays, MD
- Hospitalists: David G. Zipes, MD and the Pediatric Hospitalists of Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at St.Vincent, Indianapolis, IN
- Infectious Diseases: James K. Todd, MD, Mary Glode, MD, Mark Abzug, MD, Brian Lauer, MD, Elizabeth McFarland, MD, Ann‐Christine Nyquist, MD, Harley Rotbart, MD, John Ogle, MD
- Neonatology: Susan Niermeyer, MD, Elizabeth Thilo, MD, Adam Rosenberg, MD
- Nephrology: Douglas Ford, MD
- Nutrition: Nancy Krebs, MD
- Neurology: Paul Moe, MD, Paul Levisohn, MD, Julie Parsons, MD, Alan Seay, MD
- Ophthalmology: Robert Enzenauer, MD, Robert King, MD
- Orthopedics: Robert Eilert, MD, Frank Chang, MD
- Pulmonary Medicine: Monica Federico, MD, Gwendolyn Kerby, MD, Scott Sagel, MD
- Rheumatology: Roger Hollister, MD
- Sports Medicine: Brooke Pengel, MD
- Toxicology: Richard Dart, MD, Medical Director, Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center; William D. King, RPh, MPH, DrPH, University of Alabama School of Medicine; Erica Liebolt, MD, FACMT, University of Alabama School of Medicine
- Urology: Martin Koyle, MD
American Academy of Pediatrics Appointed Reviewers
- Mark Corkings, MD, FAAP, Member, AAP Committee on Nutrition
- Leo Heitlinger, MD, FAAP, Chair, AAP Section on Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
- Jack Swanson, MD, FAAP, Chair, AAP Committee on Practice and Ambulatory Medicine
- Allan Lieberthal, MD, FAAP, Member, AAP Committee on Practice and Ambulatory Medicine
- Nancy Krebs, MD, MS, FAAP, Member, AAP Committee on Nutrition
- Jennifer Shu, MD, Medical Editor, AAP HealthyChildren website, Atlanta, GA
Community Pediatricians
- Justin Alvey, MD, Layton, UT
- John Benbow, MD, Concord, NC
- Barbara Brundage, MD, Derry, NH
- Catherine Casey, MD, Arlington, VA
- Thomas Foels, MD, Williamsville, NY
- Fred Hamburg, MD, Springfield, MO (deceased)
- George Miller, MD, Salem, OR (deceased)
- Cajsa Schumacher, MD, Albany, NY
- Kiki Traylor, MD, Denver, CO
- Paul Tschetter, MD, Pediatrics at DTC, Denver, CO
- Joseph Vander‐Walde, MD, Kaiser Permanente Mid‐Atlantic
- Sarah Van Scoy, MD et al, Littleton Pediatrics, Denver, CO
- Wallace White, MD, Denver, CO (deceased)
