Safety and how answers work
Every MySymptom answer starts with a care level chosen by fixed safety rules, before any AI runs. If you think it's an emergency, don't wait for an app: call 911 now.
What are the six care levels?
Each level comes with one clear next step. The final level is always the more urgent of the safety rules and the AI.
For pets, the same levels point to your vet or an emergency vet.
Call 911 now
NowCall 911 now. Unlock the door and don't drive yourself.
Go to the ER now
NowGo to the nearest emergency room now. If you can't get there safely, call 911.
Get seen today
TodayGo to urgent care or get a same-day visit today.
Call your doctor today
TodayCall your doctor's office today. If you can't reach them, call a nurse line.
Book a visit
Within days to 2 weeksMake an appointment in the next few days to 2 weeks.
Care for it at home
At home, check backYou can care for this at home for now. Check back later and watch for warning signs.
What runs before the AI?
The safety check is ordinary code with no AI in it. It gives the same answer to the same words every time, and it runs first.
It reads what you wrote
Warning signs in plain words and common misspellings, in English and Spanish, with some emergency and crisis phrases in French, German, Portuguese, Hindi and Arabic. It understands "no chest pain" as a no, and when a sentence is unclear it assumes the symptom is there.It reads the numbers
A temperature, a blood pressure, a blood sugar, how long something has gone on, and a child's age or weeks of pregnancy when you mention them.It asks about warning signs
3 to 6 yes or no questions picked for the symptom and the person. Not sure is never treated as no.It sets the floor
Rules written from public guidance (CDC, NHS, American Heart Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, ACOG, ASPCA and others) set the lowest care level the answer can have.It checks for a crisis
Words about suicide, self harm, an overdose, violence at home or a child being hurt bring up the right help line at once, whoever the question is about.Emergencies skip the AI
If a rule finds an emergency sign, you get Call 911 now or Go to the ER now straight away. The AI is not asked at all.
What does MySymptom never do?
Some lines are fixed in code, not left to the AI.
- Claim to know for sure what is causing a symptom.
- Show odds or percentages for any condition, or rank one as the likeliest.
- Suggest a dose, or tell you to start or stop a medicine.
- Recommend a product or a brand.
- Suggest human medicines for pets.
- Lower a care level that the safety rules set.
- Celebrate a result, or use a score to rate your health.
- Put what you typed in a web address, or send it to analytics or ads.
Who can I call right now?
These lines are free or low cost and answer at any hour. The numbers shown match your region where we know it.
Pet poison lines may charge a fee.
If you are thinking about hurting yourself
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Call or text 988 to talk to someone now. Free, private, 24/7. Press 2 for Spanish.
If someone is hurting you
National Domestic Violence Hotline
Call 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788. Free, private, 24/7.
RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline
Call 1-800-656-4673 if someone sexually assaulted you.
If a child is being hurt
Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline
Call or text 1-800-422-4453. Free, 24/7.
Poison help
Poison Help
Call 1-800-222-1222 now. Experts answer 24/7 and will tell you what to do.
Pet poison help
ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center
Call (888) 426-4435 now, 24/7.
A consultation fee may apply.
How is the safety check tested?
With a fixed set of example cases that must all pass before any change ships.
- More than 200 written cases: adult emergencies, babies and children, pregnancy and after birth, older adults, crisis messages in several languages, poisonings, pets, and ordinary cases that must not be escalated.
- A release is blocked if a single emergency case gets a lower care level than it should.
- Source links were checked by an automated test on Oct 16, 2026. A person still needs to confirm each help line number on the service's own site.
Not reviewed by a clinician yet. The rules are a starter set written from public guidance by a non-clinician. A licensed clinician still needs to review them, and a veterinarian the pet rules. We will name the reviewer here, with their credential and the date, once that happens.
Questions about safety
What are the six care levels?
Call 911 now, Go to the ER now, Get seen today, Call your doctor today, Book a visit, and Care for it at home. Every answer starts with one of them, with a clear next step.
Can the AI make something sound less urgent?
No. The final level is the more urgent of the safety rules and the AI. The AI can raise the level, never lower it. If the level the AI gives is unclear, it counts as Call your doctor today.
What happens if I mention self harm, an overdose or abuse?
MySymptom shows crisis, poison or abuse help lines right away, alongside or instead of the symptom answer. In the US that includes the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222.
Will MySymptom tell me which medicine to take or how much?
No. Answers never include doses or product suggestions, and code removes them if the AI writes any. Ask a pharmacist or clinician about medicines.
Is the safety check reviewed by doctors?
Not yet. The rules are written from public guidance and tested against more than 200 example cases. A release ships only with no missed emergencies in those test cases, which is a check on our examples, not a promise about every message. A clinician still needs to review the rules, and we say so openly.
MySymptom gives general health information. It is not medical advice and can't tell you for sure what is causing your symptoms. If you are worried, contact a clinician. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.