FAQ

Why chronic diseases (i.e. diabetes, heart disease, hypertension)?

Chronic diseases are among the most common illnesses in the world, and are on the rise. For the scope of this project we narrowed down to chronic diseases because they are the hardest manage, and require longitudinal care. Given that doctors only in refugee camps only have about 10-20 minutes per a patient, we believe that this time would be more efficiently used with a digital health record.

Why can only doctors add records?

To assure that the information is only written by doctors and it is medically accurate.

Why can patients only view their record and add comments (i.e. can't edit)?

To improve the quality of data and to ensure no misuse of the application, patients will not be able to edit the information that doctors input into their medical history. However, we believe it is important that each patient feels ownership over their data, so they will have full access to view it. To keep users engaged, they will be able to add notes (i.e. comments to their record) instead of giving them editing capability.

Why can patients remove doctors/organizations?

Patients can remove doctors/organizations in order to secure their ownership over their own data. If they have seen a doctor in a specific camp, it is unlikely that they will see that same doctor again. Instead, they will have likely moved to another camp and/or to another doctor. As such, they can remove old doctors and simultaneously add new ones.

Will syncing online information not take time away from the doctors?

No - given that at present doctors in refugee camps spend the majority of their time finding out a patients medical history to accurately assess and prescribe medication, the "Record on the Go" application will provide this in one quick step. The current system is paper-based, which is more vulnerable to loss or tear; however, an electronic health record can provide a more reliable system.