Chandigarh: With over 8k downloads in last 10 years, PGI’s app guiding doctors in emergency care

The app sets an exquisite example of digitalisation when government hospitals have been grappling with the digitalisation process effort of one department, which has led to a successful usage of an app in a limited amount of funds.

With 8,210 downloads in over ten years, the Gastrointestinal (GI) and Liver Emergencies App is helping doctors all over the country in dealing with GI and liver emergency cases in real time. The app is the brainchild of Dr Usha Dutta, head of gastroenterology department of the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER).

The details of GI and Liver emergencies App were shared by gastroenterology department as it announced its 9th Gastrointestinal Emergencies update conference, which is set to be held from November 14 to 16. (HT File)

Dr Usha explained, every day in PGI, they have 25-30 gastrointestinal and liver cases in the emergency, who are first seen by the junior resident doctors, senior resident doctors and then the consultant. “The time a patient is brought to an emergency is critical and by the time the case goes to the consultant, critical time for diagnosis is lost. Therefore to bridge the gap between existing knowledge and front line officials providing immediate care to patients, the app was developed in 2015 in collaboration with Espranza Innovations, a software company at the cost of ₹50,000,” Dr Usha said. She added that the app is helpful for physicians, residents and medical students in quickly assessing evidence-based guidelines in emergency care for real time clinical decision-making.

The app sets an exquisite example of digitalisation when government hospitals have been grappling with the digitalisation process effort of one department, which has led to a successful usage of an app in a limited amount of funds. However, the healthcare services are still missing in government hospitals on academics, administration working and on patientcare side. Even when the PGI administration has announced its ambitious plans of developing a navigation app for easy accessibility of the hospital for patients, the UT health department is yet to even have its own website for basic information, online appointments, test reports availability, etc.

GI and Liver Emergencies App has been designed after reviewing various literature, guidelines and every year updates for its efficient use. The app has a list of various gastrointestinal and liver emergency conditions and their symptoms. On having the concerned condition symptoms, various tests and investigations are mentioned and further parameters of severity are given to assess severe patient’s condition. The last stage in the app is of management, on how to go further with the patient care and diagnosis of various diseases have been mentioned. The app is available free of cost on Google Store of Android and also available on App store of iOS, and on PGIMER website.

The details of GI and Liver emergencies App were shared by gastroenterology department as it announced its 9th Gastrointestinal Emergencies update conference, which is set to be held from November 14 to 16.