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Mobile health technology looks to extend care, ease patient anxiety
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ATLANTA – CheckedUp, health care technology available on smartphones, tablets and computers, was introduced by Richard Awdeh, MD, in a presentation here at SECO Wednesday.
Awdeh, an assistant professor at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute and founder and CEO of CheckedUp, discussed difficulties that doctors currently face in their practices in providing care, including time constraints, busy clinics and patient anxiety.
"This is a patient-centric tool to help educate patients about their care," Awdeh explained.
Richard Awdeh
"CheckedUp allows doctors to better communicate with patients, create personalized content and monitor outcomes and medication adherence," according to the company's website. "Patients can learn about their options and medications, promoting informed decisions and improved adherence to their treatment plan."
Currently, one in every five people in the world owns a smartphone, according to information presented by Awdeh.
Awdeh specifically discussed CheckedUp with cataract and glaucoma patients in mind. In a study, the application was found to decrease patient anxiety and increase knowledge; patients felt they had enough time with their doctor when they had actually spent less time with their doctor and patients said that they would utilize medication reminders.
Awdeh explained that in patients with glaucoma, a mobile health application could change patient behavior through alerts and, therefore, improve clinical efficacy.
"We're at a cross section in health care," Awdeh said in his presentation. "We're in a time where we're seeing such revolution in technology, and I think that intersection of health care and technology is where we're going to see some of the most exciting developments both in ophthalmology and optometry but also outside of our specialty of health care."
CheckedUp is currently in an explorer phase.
"It is an initial phase, wherein we are setting up clinics to provide us with direct feedback, to ensure that the product works well in all types of clinics, whether it be hospitals or individual practices," CheckedUp told Primary Care Optometry News in an email. "It is an opportunity for patients to interact with the application in a native environment."
Their goal is to roll out to 50 clinics in 2014 and move out of the explorer phase before 2015, according to the company. While they have begun in ophthalmology, CheckedUp told PCON that it plans to expand to optometry as well as other subspecialties and pediatrics. – by Chelsea Frajerman