New Thai app empowers orthopaedic patients with knowledge and support

Patients, particularly those in public hospitals, have a very limited time in interacting with doctors, due to the high volume of patients these doctors have to treat. This results in patients not fully grasping and understanding the idea of their conditions, their treatment options, or how to take care of themselves at home.

Furthermore, information on the internet about their conditions in Thai can be technical for some patients and is difficult to access, especially for older patients. This, compounded with information not compiled in the same location, makes it difficult for patients to access.

Motivated by this, Navin embarked on a school project to develop an innovative solution. He collaborated with keen application designer Fifth Mongkolsuthree to create an application that would serve as a valuable information resource for patients in the orthopaedics department of Vajira Public Hospital. With the expert guidance of Dr Pruk Chaiyakit, a renowned orthopaedic specialist, they began crafting a comprehensive application.

Navin and Fifth spent half a year compiling relevant information, provided by Dr Pruk, into simple bullet points and translated them into Thai. They drew over 50 diagrams by hand to clearly illustrate the conditions to the patients and designed the interface of the application. They then collaborated with a local programming company to put together what they had done.

The application that has been developed as a result of their efforts now stands as a resource for patients at the hospital seeking information about prevalent orthopaedic conditions in Thailand, including common conditions like Knee Osteoarthritis and Hip Osteonecrosis. This platform allows for a user-friendly experience where patients can easily access comprehensive information, both in Thai and English, on these orthopaedic issues.

Here, patients can access basic information about their conditions, helping them gain a better understanding of their nature, progression, and how it can impact their daily lives.

This application also covers available treatment options for each stage of the condition, which helps patients learn and decide whether to proceed with their treatment or not. To aid this, the application includes what to expect during the procedures, potential benefits, possible risks, and the basics of the operation.

Furthermore, the patients can also access pre-treatment preparations and post-treatment care of the patient’s specific treatment. Here, guidance on what to complete and ensure before the surgery can be found, such as how to prepare a suitable living space or what medical checks they have to go through. Post-surgery care can also be found, such as information on exercises that can aid in the patient’s recovery, as well as what they should look out for in case of an emergency.

Finally, the app also includes a section of medications commonly used in their orthopaedics treatment. It provides basic information about these medications so that patients have a general understanding of the drugs they may be prescribed.

After the first launch, Navin and Fifth conducted a comprehensive beta testing of the app with patients. They interviewed over 30, receiving valuable comments that they then used to improve the application further.

In the end, Navin and Fifth hope that their application will help patients learn, make decisions, and support them through the stages of their treatment. In the end, they hope that their project can be a small helping hand for patients with orthopaedics conditions, by aiding in one of the steps towards a better life.

The application can be downloaded here:

Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.angstrom.vajira_ortho&pli=1

App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/vajira-smart-joint/id6453942810

For further information, please contact Navin Kasemtanakul at [email protected] by email.