Novartis Medinfo App Review
Welcome to the Information Age, an age that has democratized knowledge like no reform before and gave us tools that could do what only hundreds of men could otherwise.
Medical equipment went through an exciting evolution, especially as computers entered the field and methods previously only used in Physics found their way in. With the rise of the smart phone, simple people with no medical training could get more reliable information about health-related issues faster than ever. This of course also meant that people sometimes made bad decisions based on limited information combined with their lack of professional training.
Put the tools in the hands of experts
On the other hand, professionals also got to work with more powerful tools. Good equipment in the hands of experts can, and often does make the difference between finding an anomaly in its early stage or not.
Novartis’ IPSS calculator was released with this intent. It is an app for health care professionals, so it’s not exactly much fun for someone who doesn’t have the training to understand what it works with. Nor is the interface designed for staring at its beauty. This is medical equipment on a smart phone, not a toy. The design is simple, easy to use and highly functional. No resource is wasted on anything that is unnecessary from the perspective of a professional who wants to get the results in a short time and efficiently.
Automatic Calculations
Just like any medical equipment, this app requires the knowledge and understanding of the medic to operate. The doctor has to assess and input data like percentage of bone marrow blasts, the number of cytopenias and the karyotype of the patient. The app does what computers do better than humans: the calculations. Hit “Calculate” and you get back the patients’ IPSS score and MDS severity grading. The output also tells you the risk group where the patient belongs, and the estimated life expectancy.
The app has also got some other relevant information and possible sources of risk for the patient to help the expert’s work.
Available in Different Languages
The app is available in both English and French. The supported platforms cover all major providers (for example Blackberry and iPhone). A very handy tool for those who work in the field, it’s always at hand (no pun intended) and easy to use. It is also quite discrete, not intruding or intimidating for a patient, as it is running on a device well-known for him.
Simple to Use
The straightforwardness of the app is among its strengths. It’s exactly what one expects from an application designed for healthcare: simple, powerful and fast. Everyone who has to deal with calculating the IPSS score and MDS will certainly find this small app a great help. Do you want help calculating IPSS scores too?
