Sharing medical cases among health practitioners has become easy after a clinical officer launched a mobile app that leverages the ubiquity of smartphones and the internet in solving complex medical cases.
Through Docspace mobile app, downloadable from Google Play, health professionals can share medical cases, discuss health solutions or interact and learn from chat options available. Predicated on Twitter model, DocSpace allows users to post text and picture content, like and share posts as well as comment on the posts.
“We are offering an intuitive social networking platform for medics to share medical cases. This platform, unlike existing cases sharing media like WhatsApp, is spam free,” explains app co-developer Hosea Lonti.
“This app enables junior medical professions gather expert insights from verified health professionals.”
DocSpace gives users a resonant view into patient conditions since users can take pictures and video of the patient and post on the platform. Feedback, just like in other social media platforms, is instantaneous.
Launched last year, the app has over 1500 users largely drawn from Kenya medical profession. Lonti adds
“DocSpace fosters a spirit of continuous learning in health” even as the app facilitates breakdown of geographical barriers in sharing medical cases. A medical officer in remote areas of Kenya can seamlessly receive advice on treating a case from a medical officer based in Nairobi. This enhances patient health and contributes to improved care,” Lonti notes.
As a firewall to keep unqualified professionals from giving medical advice, the app administrators verify health professionals with a red badge on their user names.
“Before verification, a user is required to post proof of registration with the relevant professional regulatory authority. We also counter check the registration details before we verify a user as a certified medical practitioner,” says Lonti.
In addition, the app facilitates medical practitioners access relevant news updates from credible media outlets. With a wide network of professionals, the app is a rich source of information on planned webinars, panel discussions and continuous medical education events.
While the app allows users to post photo and video images, “the administrators take down posts that infringe on patient right to privacy,” Lonti clarifies.
DocSpace uses push technology to send notifications on new cases, posts and reactions, allowing users to monitor the cases while offline. The app developers Hosea Lonti and Joseph Kitonga have big plans for the future. They consider rolling out a health professional’s recruitment feature on the app.
“Currently, the app is not making money. We just provide value preposition to the medical profession. However, there are plans to add a premium recruitment feature on DocSpace. In addition, we plan to monetize its utility by inviting pharmaceutical companies to market products,” Lonti told Health Business in a telephone interview.
Eventually, the app will provide analytic services and provide industry relevant data on prevailing cases. This, the developers hope, will provide a “complete snapshot” of emerging rare medical cases.
“The app will soon utilize machine learning algorithms to process the data the app produces in a way that stakeholders can utilize to tailor medical solutions and market medicine and medical devices,” Lonti hopes.
