The ability for the clinician to interact with the technology in real time makes it a great tool that supports the conversation between the patient and the clinician, says John Cox, president and CEO, of Visible Health. “In order for patient education to be effective for patients, it needs to be an engaging experience driven by the clinician,” Cox said. “drawMD is a tool to enhance the ability of the clinician to communicate in a more structured and efficient manner.” Other patient education tools, such as videos, do a good job of explaining a procedure or a condition but they do not provide the same interactive elements, and it is the interaction between the patient and the provider that allows for better information retention, Cox said. What’s next? To date, drawMD has 11 versions, each providing images that are specific to a medical specialty.
- Pediatrics
- Vascular
- Sampler
- Urology
- Orthopedics
- OB/GYN
- General Surgery
- Female Pelvic Surgery
- Otolaryngology
- Cardiology
- Anesthesia & Critical Care
The apps have combined for more than 200,000 downloads, and feedback has been positive. In fact, Cox said many physicians have told him that drawMD has given them a reason to use their iPad in practice. Other said they bought an iPad just so they can use the app. Users have also provided suggestions for enhancements to the applications that Visible Health has taken to heart and put into action. “We are under development for a major redesign to drawMD to be released around the end of this year,” Cox said. “We are focusing on improving the experience of drawing and the ability to customize the images.” Among the features planned for drawMD 3.0 is the ability to zoom in and out of images and apply animated stamps. Users can also create slideshows that show a sequence of drawings that they can share with the patient. Many of the features of drawMD 3.0 will continue be free, but it will also set the stage for the collection of premium features and services Visible Health is planning to launch in 2013. Those premium services will offer a more extensive user experience, promote more direct sharing and collaboration with patients as well as provide the ability to integrate the application with other health systems.
