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iPad applications help physicians increase efficiency, communicate with patients
The programs could change the way surgeons discuss procedures with patients.
SAN DIEGO — Stryker Orthopaedics has announced the creation and release of its first surgeon-geared iPad applications, designed specifically to help enhance physician-patient communication and streamline access to products and techniques.
The announcement was made here at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
The applications — Stryker Flipchart and OpTech Live — are currently available online.
Accessibility is key
Development of the applications was focused on making information more accessible to surgeons and helping them deliver necessary information to patients in a more streamlined fashion.
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Images: Stryker Orthopaedics |
“We started by looking at things we have already made, and focused on how we could leverage technology to make them better or more efficient,” said Richard Friedland, the Director of Education Innovation for Stryker Orthopaedics. “We wanted to take what we had and make it more accessible.”
OpTech Live is a guide to Stryker Orthopaedics’ surgical protocols. It also includes information about the company’s products, ranging from extremities to hip, knee, sports medicine and trauma.
“So often, if you had an emergency surgery, you had to rush to try and print these things out,” Friedland told Orthopedics Today. “Now if you have the app and you have your iPad with you, you get immediate access.”
Aiding patient communication
The other application, Stryker Flipchart, is designed to help physicians explain a hip, knee, or shoulder replacement procedure to patients who are either scheduled for surgery or contemplating undergoing a procedure. It contains customizable overviews of a normal joint, arthritic joint and replaced joint, using graphics and X-rays to help physicians illustrate the surgery.
Physicians can also annotate images to help better explain specific details to patients.
Included in the application is the ability to create individualized charts for each patient. The charts are easily accessible, allowing physicians to come back to discussions without having to worry about retracing their steps.
“We talk about your surgery, and say you come back 3 weeks later … instead of having that whole discussion all over again, I can go to your specific chart and everything we have already been over is available right there to go back to,” Friedland said.
The program could help physicians communicate more effectively with their patients, as well as reduce the amount of time spent locating and utilizing various models from around the office to explain procedural specifics.
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Stryker Flipchart is designed to help physicians explain a procedure to patients who are either scheduled for surgery or contemplating undergoing a procedure. |
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“We want to provide tools to help facilitate the surgeon-patient dialogue,” Friedland said.
The applications have reportedly elicited positive reactions from the physicians who have had a chance to use them. Increased efficiency in office time and communication are not the only benefits, however. Stryker Orthopaedics believes that use of the applications could save significant money by eliminating paper use.
“Printing, shipping, distributing … not only are you saving on paper, but you are also saving on distribution costs,” Friedland said.
Within the company, Stryker Orthopaedics believes it can reduce the amount of paper it ships by hundreds of thousands of pounds through its more digitally-motivated strategies. – by Robert Press
Reference:
- www.stryker.com