As the novel coronavirus pandemic has been spreading widely in many countries, the number of people losing life has also grown sharply. Known for its contagious nature, infected people admitted to hospitals don’t see their loved ones until they are discharged. In some cases, patients end up being alone. Now a new app has been developed to connect covid-19 patients remotely with their family members and loved ones.
When a coronavirus infected person is being treated in the hospital, he/she needs to stay alone due to the highly infectious nature of the virus. Patients suffering to stay alone is one of the most distressing things about the pandemic.
Amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis, Babies are born without the presence of their family. People who died due to the virus are buried by hospital staff while people suffering from the virus and other illnesses triggered by it are taking precautions all by themself with no support from their loved ones.
To address this issue, Visionable Connect came into existence which simplifies the process for patients admitted in the hospitals to talk to their families and friends. The app helps severely ill patients to talk to their loved ones for the final time ever.
However, the app is very similar to popular video conferring apps such as Zoom or Skype. But it doesn’t require sign-up or download on phone, hospitals can send it to any mobile device using an email ID or a phone number.
People who are less tech-savvy and medical staff who are busy in hospitals or those patients in critical conditions who cannot perform simple tasks like signing-up easily can use this app to connect with their families.
“We developed the app rather quickly in response to Covid-19 to get that out because families can’t go to visit patients in the hospital and needed a way to communicate with them when they’re not able to physically go and visit them,” said Visionable Connect’s product director Karen Percy to LADbible
Initially, the app was used by consultants to connect with their patients as they were unable to meet them in person due to the pandemic. This situation led to an increase in the use of digital ways to reach out to patients in hospitals.
The reason the app is developed to be used without a sign-up option or any need to download as many involved in the medical business is not tech-savvy. This features later proved to be a blessing for those old-age patients who want to talk to their loved ones from hospital beds.
Using Wifi connection in hospitals, doctors were able to connect patients with their families without any need for the individuals to register for an account. The process of receiving the app on email and click it to download and open has increased the ease of using it.
Karen added, “Some of the devices are bedside, and you’ll have one patient using one device, and in other cases, you will have the nurses or the hospital staff that are helping the patients and connect bring it in and they’ll make an appointment with the family.”
“It’s just so sensitive with Covid-19 patients and ICU patients and allowing the family members to speak to them one at a time. The fact that we can give families the opportunity to say goodbye when they can’t physically be it is sad but rewarding.”
The app is now used in more than seven of the UK’s NHS hospital trusts. Not only Covid-19 patients, others suffering from different conditions, and were isolated in the hospitals are now using this app to contact their families.
Patients who are comfortable and relaxed often show better results and recover swiftly. This app has become an important player in making patients feel more confident and comfortable during their treatment.
Hospitals are now focusing on digital infrastructure to conducted operations and treat patients. Digital treatments are expected by many but the pandemic pushed the need for hospitals earlier. During the pandemic, many doctors conducted big operations using video conferencing apps to treat patients in remote locations.
The growing use of technology will shape the medical field and many new innovations are yet to see. Such connect apps are the beginning of the use of technology in the medical field. The contact tracing app helped to find Covid positive patients to reduce the spread of the virus. More such innovative apps will help in building digital medical infrastructure.