DOCTOT.COM:Diagnostic aids to help doctors during consultations, which can be accessed on a mobile phone, have been developed by Limerick-based software firm Doctot.
The product, an abbreviation of “Doctor’s Tools of the Trade”, has reconfigured paper-based rating scales and adapted them for use as an iPhone application.
Traditionally charts are filled out by a doctor and the scores used to determine the severity of the patient’s symptoms.
Prof Declan Lyons, a consultant physician at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Limerick and one of three founder members of the company, says that while the rating scales are medically robust and valuable tools, the paper-based format is cumbersome.
“For years there have been scales that help in the diagnosis of conditions and treatment strategies. These are validated and meticulously developed over a series of years in different therapeutic areas.
“The Hamilton Depression Scale is a standardised measure that is used to help doctors assess how depressed someone is. However, it can take up to 36 minutes to administer in paper-based format.”
While using the charts is seen as best practice, Lyons says in reality they are not used as often as they could be, “simply because of pressure of time”.
He says Doctot has reconfigured these tools to make them less time-consuming. “Using the app, the Hamilton score can be administered in four minutes. Rather than writing numbers you tap a button and the system automatically generates scores that aid the diagnostic process. The app will also upload these results so the results can be stored and accessed.
“Doctot has the five most useful scales for the management of depression. There are some for depression, some for mania. There are scales relevant for any given therapeutic area,” Lyons said.
Lyons has been involved in designing clinical software systems for 10 years along with Fergal McDonnell in their company Clinisynergy.
“We started talking about this in April last year and we had a chat with Macdara Butler, a web designer. We had our first apps in the iStore by December.”
The charts being used by Doctot are in the public domain but it is in discussions with copyright holders of other diagnostic charts to develop more apps for conditions such as stroke, hypertension, osteoporosis and diabetes.
Lyons accepts that the concept could be copied but says the company plans to defend itself by ensuring its user interface is the most intuitive for medical professionals. “We are also first out with this.” Lyons is reluctant to release the exact number of downloads but says it is in the “low thousands” and says they will also be available in the iPad. The company plans to launch one new app a month for the next six months. Users pay a flat fee per download.
