Open by design
How Reach Care works
There is no hidden model. Reach Care adds up the open weights of the symptoms you pick and maps the total to one of three plain levels. Every weight and assumption is shown here.
The rule
- 1. Each symptom carries a small, fixed weight (shown below).
- 2. We add the weights of everything you select.
- 3. A total of 3+ means GET HELP NOW; 1–2 means see a health worker; 0 means care at home.
Because any one severe sign has weight 3, a single life-threatening symptom always reaches GET HELP NOW on its own.
Symptom weights
| Symptom | Weight | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Trouble breathing or chest painSevere | 3 | Breathing and chest problems can turn deadly fast — never wait. |
| Bleeding that will not stopSevere | 3 | Uncontrolled bleeding is an emergency on its own. |
| Confusion, fainting, or a seizureSevere | 3 | A change in alertness points to a serious problem. |
| High fever that will not come downModerate | 2 | A stubborn high fever needs a health worker's eyes soon. |
| Severe dehydration (no urine, sunken eyes)Moderate | 2 | Dehydration is dangerous, especially for children and elders. |
| Diarrhea or vomiting for more than a dayModerate | 1 | Lasting fluid loss can quietly become severe. |
| A wound that is red, swollen, or oozingModerate | 1 | Signs of infection should be checked before it spreads. |
| Mild cough or coldMild | 0 | Usually settles with rest — watch for the warning signs. |
| Mild aches or tirednessMild | 0 | Common and usually self-limiting — rest and fluids. |
The levels
GET HELP NOW (score 3+)
Severe signs. Reach the nearest health post or emergency help immediately — do not wait until morning.
SEE A HEALTH WORKER (score 1+)
Have a community health worker or clinic check this soon — within a day or two, sooner if it worsens.
CARE AT HOME (score 0+)
Rest, fluids, and watch closely. Seek care if any warning sign appears or things get worse.
Warning signs always override the result
If any of these appear, seek care now — no matter what the triage said:
- Trouble breathing, fast breathing, or blue lips
- Chest pain or pressure
- Confusion, hard to wake, or a seizure
- Bleeding that will not stop
- A baby or child who will not feed or drink
- No urine for many hours, or sunken eyes (dehydration)
- A fever with a stiff neck or a spreading rash
worked-example.calc
$ reach-care triage --example+ High fever that will not come down (weight 2)+ Severe dehydration (weight 2)= score 4-> GET HELP NOW (4 >= 3)no personal data stored
What is real vs sample: the calculation above is real and runs on your device. The care directory is sample data for a representative rural setting — live local feeds are out of scope in v1. Reach Care is informational only and is not a diagnosis.