For Dr. Heath Latham, moving into a new neighborhood led to starting a new company. About six years ago, he reconnected with a new neighbor and former colleague, Jeff Dunn.
“I remember Jeff sharing this idea that he had,” Dr. Latham says. “It was when smart phones were taking off and being used regularly in medical care.
“The idea was about creating a clinical decision assistance tool for physicians. We talked about better ways to address the critical problems like Code Blue that you may not encounter frequently but they are high risk, high stress and have high potential for error.”
In those early days, Dr. Latham helped with brainstorming ideas for the concept and developing algorithms for an early version of the Redivus app. Today, as a founding partner in the company and a practicing pulmonary and critical care physician at the University of Kansas Medical Center, Dr. Latham uses Redivus regularly and provides expert feedback for the development team.
Here are Dr. Latham’s four favorite features of the Redivus Health app:
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Timers
“When you’re working in the ICU and it’s a busy day in the hospital, you may be dealing with several critically ill patients at the same time. It’s not hard to get distracted and lose track of time. The app has timers that alert you so you can take action, for instance that you have 30 minutes left to complete the three-hour sepsis treatment bundle. Making the right decision in a timely fashion contributes to the best possible outcome for the patient.”
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Care Coordination
“The app enables physicians and nurses to share data for a patient. Both can access time-sensitive data and timers, as well as see what actions each takes, so it’s a team approach. It’s easy to see what tasks need to be done and everything is recorded and documented. This feature is also great for handing off patient care to a new doctor or nurse when shifts change.”
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Decision Support
“As you go through medical training and your career, you learn these treatment algorithms and you memorize them. When you’re faced with a critical situation, your mind recalls them. But in a cardiac arrest, someone is dead in front of you. There’s commotion in the room, people talking, lots of distractions. It can take time, even if only seconds to a minute, to focus your mind on recalling that algorithm. And time is critical. This app gives you a tool on your phone with simple prompts and triggers to walk you through the algorithm. It also reinforces your confidence that you’re doing all the right things for the patient in front of you.”
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Simplicity
“The app interface is very intuitive and easy to use. It asks simple questions to get you to the next step of care. There are no unnecessary clicks or swipes to get you to the important information and to help you make a decision. It’s smart, functional app design.”
Dr. Latham believes that the future is bright for Redivus Health.
“The Redivus app focuses on four acute conditions where time is of the essence,” he explains. “But the platform is also ideal for other treatment scenarios. There is great potential to expand Redivus to other conditions and enhance decision assistance for many other situations. The opportunities are truly endless.”