Ask HN: What do you think about our medical iphone app?
prognosisapp.com
prognosisapp.com
I guess that this news will put a dampening on innovation in the mobile medical field though ....
However, the problem is that the FDA rules would probably block those apps from being deployed in the US App store.
And all said and done, the US App store is key to gaining traction and users.
Users with US app store accounts will not be able to see apps in other countries app stores (of course, they can just create a new account set to a different country, but your average user is unlikely to do that)
There are many small companies out there that market software products that meet the definition of "Medical Device" but are not approved by the FDA or its equivalent in other countries. They escape because they're running under the radar and the agency doesn't have enough people to police everyone. Now put those apps in one or a few places and it becomes much easier to monitor.
The solution isn't a simple one. Getting 510(k) submissions (FDA pre-market approval process) approved can be very expensive but at the same time, it's possible that many of the products the FDA regulates really don't need to be or at least could be served by a simpler submission process.
In a very short while I've seen a stethoscope replacement app, ( http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/11145583 ), an ultra sound unit ( http://news.wustl.edu/news/Pages/13928.aspx ) and now this.
For places that are less well served by the medical profession these could be real life savers, mobiles are amazing little computers and they can be used for much more than just playing silly games.
Great to see this and much good luck to you.
The case displayed on the blog is admittedly very simple - mainly because it is a 'demo case' for users to become familiar with how the app works. The remainder range from easy to quite challenging.
The app is almost ready - at the moment a panel of consultants (attending physicians / surgeons) is going through them to make sure that all details are correct. Once this is done, it will be submitted to the app store.
Would you like to be a beta-tester ? Please let me know.
P.S. I am a doctor :)
Who is this for? At first I thought it might be for doctors, to sort of "crowd-source" a diagnosis, especially from the phrase "investigate, deduce and diagnose real life in minutes." But the cartoon look and the word "game" suggest not.
Now I think it might be a "try to diagnose the problem" game for lay people (I mean, non-doctors). It does look like fun.
In the industrial first-aid training I've done, we practiced and were tested in various scenarios where we had to make a basic diagnosis and provide first-aid. If I understand correctly what your app is about, improving first aid skills might be an additional benefit of playing the game.
I've noted several comments that the cases appear to be simple and targeted at lay people - mainly because our blog showcased our 'demo' case, which was built to introduce users to how the app works. Most of the other cases require a medical background in order to be solved properly.
Thanks for the comments on the marketing pitch - I guess that we need to fine-tune it ! I like the idea about how some simpler cases targeted at lay people might make it appeal to the general public as well.
Given the massive amount of 'serious' stuff that they have to go through every day, we thought that a more 'fun' style would be easier on the mind (and on the eyes !).
After a day in the clinic (I am a practicing doctor), I feel like I have brain damage - and I just don't want to even think about a medical textbook or journal. But something less serious might sit better with my mind.