According to a study conducted last March 2015 by the National Telehealth Center, it was said that the Philippines is the social media capital of the world. Out of the total population in the country, 115 million are mobile users (basing on the number of mobile subscriptions) and 32 million have access to internet. Most of them use mobile internet to access social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Viber, Instagram, etc. With continuous increasing number of users, numerous innovative application are developed to assist Health Care Providers in providing health care by the use of handheld devices; most of the tasks include but not limited to: point of care health record maintenance and secured access by authorized users; information and time management; communications and consulting; reference and information gathering (CDSS); patient management and monitoring; clinical decision-making; and medical education and training (Ventola, 2014).
This week’s driving question, how can mobile applications be useful in primary care? I picked the project for my HI210 (System Analysis and Design) which focused on providing care during time of emergency.
In reality, most of the emergency cases, both reported and unreported, encounter challenges with regards to being properly attended to by the rescuers. Different factors that contribute were identified such as the availability and distance of the first aiders or the ambulance to the victim/s, the heavy traffic flow in the metro, the inability or unawareness of the bystander to identify the proper hotline numbers to call for emergency, call being put on hold for a long time and subsequently being transferred to different department/s or agency for assistance, or worst, the hotline is not even working. There were a few times that emergency patients are not accepted by the hospitals due to unavailability of beds, etc. Furthermore, there are no definite facts and figures available to the public to show the details of the emergency cases that occurred per area, the relevant demographic data, and the other factors affecting the delays of emergency care. These facts and figures are relevant for the analysis on the health care delivery as well as how to improve services in times of emergency.
In the Philippine setting, there are numerous telephone hotlines identified for specific type of concerns, like for fire, disaster, and emergencies. Previously, there are different contact center numbers that Filipinos may call in time of emergencies depending on the case like Red Cross, Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), and National Disaster and Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) regional hotlines. There are also contact centers per city in the metro but that depends on the management of the government offices. In Makati, they have Makati Command Control and Communication Center (C3) to receive the calls and channel to proper agencies for action, while others like Manila, they have designated contact numbers of hospitals or agency to contact posted in the city government website. Due to a lot of numbers being posted, most people are unaware which one should be called. Not to mention that there are numerous instances wherein contact numbers which Bystanders call are either busy, or worse, it is not functioning anymore.
Earlier this year, the government has provided one national hotline (911) to receive medical, rescue, fire, and police assistance and channel to respective agencies. However, it was admitted that it would be difficult as they may encounter call traffic and prank calls. It was said in a press conference that it almost took 4-5 minutes before the main hotline number in Manila was able to channel to the local command center. In addition to that, certain amount per call is dependent on which telecommunication provider the caller carries (Quintas, 2016).
With the current set-up, even with national hotline receiving calls, some opted to directly call the local command center for prompt response. However, that would only apply if their caller knows the direct hotline to call.
The solution to the identified problem is to create an application that will enable to contact a rescuer without delay. It would be either a first aider or an ambulance rescue team. The application is created in a form of a mobile application that will connect to a first aider and rescue team as needed to respond in an emergency situation in real time. In addition to that, people will not need to memorize hotline numbers or look for one in case they do not know. In this generation that Filipinos have access to mobile technology, it would be more convenient and efficient to request for a First Aider or Ambulance Rescue Team just by tapping the SOS button of the mobile application and it will directly connect to the nearest first aider.
Below are the GUI/screen prototypes that were designed by our student developers from UP Manila Computer Science:
Through this application, many lives can be saved and there would be an increase in the chances of survival of the patient since there is early and fast response from the first-aider and ambulance rescue team during the emergency situation.
The mobile application prototype (APK file) is readily available at our website should you want to check out the concept our team had!
Disclaimer: This project concept is not solely mine. It is a collaboration between MSHI Graduate Students and Computer Science Undergraduate Students for HI 210: Systems Analysis and Design and CMSC 128.1: Software Engineering courses.
References:
- Igna, H. (2015, March 25). National Telehealth Center Internet social media and mobile use of Filipinos in 2015. Retrieved August 30, 2016, from https://telehealth.ph/2015/03/26/internet-social-media-and-mobile-use-of-filipinos-in-2015/
- Quintas, K., Manto, M., & Leyson, O. (2016, August 1). 8888 for government complaints: 911 hotline ready. Retrieved November 26, 2016, from http://www.philstar.com/cebu-news/2016/08/01/1608842/8888-government-complaints-911-hotline-ready
- Ventola, C. L. (2014). Mobile Devices and Apps for Health Care Professionals: Uses and Benefits. Pharmacy and Therapeutics, 39(5), 356–364.
- Extend the Life Project (2016). from https://extendthelife.firebaseapp.com
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