A Bay of Plenty medical specialist is backing the move to offer free healthcare advice through the introduction of a new smart phone Healthline symptom checker.

The free downloadable symptom checker, launched last week by Health Minister Tony Ryall, allows people to enter their symptoms by either selecting the area on a map of the body or searching their health query by name from a list, such as leg injury.

The new, free downloadable symptom checker.

Enquirers will then be provided with suggested courses of action, including – if relevant – seeing a doctor or calling an ambulance.

Bay of Plenty District Health Board emergency medicine specialist and team leader Matthew Valentine gives the app a glowing report card after downloading and scrutinising the technology option.

'Even though you can find the information elsewhere, I believe that the more ways you make reliable health information available to people, the better,” says Matthew.

'I really appreciate that they cite the medical references that they use for the recommendations – that makes it much easier to trust.”

Tony says the app will significantly help the medical industry by reducing unwanted pressure on staff.

The development of the app comes on the back of successful models in Australia and the UK. In February, the UK received 450,000 interactions through the app.

'Depending on the type of injury or illness, and the severity of the symptoms, the courses of action may be calling an ambulance, seeing a doctor within 24 hours, or information on how to manage the condition at home,” says Tony.

'When you download the symptom checker you can add your GP's phone number. If the suggested course of action is phone your doctor you can do it with a push of a button through the phone app.”

The Healthline symptom checker was developed by Medibank and is currently only available for Apple products, such as iPhones, from iTunes.