DV Consult

DV Consult is an online chat application that allows general practitioners in remote areas to consult medical specialists in the cities through text and images. It enables collaboration by overcoming geographical barrier and other obstacles using technology.

In developing the application, Opendream worked closely with Debaratana Vejjanukula Foundation in Chiang Mai to understand the main problems faced by the practitioners in order to create the most suitable communication solution for them.

Problem & Concept

When general practitioners in remote areas are confronted with complicated cases, which require specific knowledge and experience to make proper judgments, consultations with specialists are needed. Referring patients to specialists in the city might be necessary but at the same time the patients will have to bear higher expenses.

Execution

DV Consult is created to provide the general practitioners a list of medical specialists who are willing to give professional advice. The application is equipped with the following unique features that solve the problems with the existing chat solutions.

• Text will not be deleted after a set time period like the other applications
• Conversations are sorted and categorized according to the issue or specialty consulted so that it is easy to follow up and also facilitates knowledge management
• General practitioners are able to consult multiple specialists at the same time by sending the case details only once. Each specialist can respond to the general practitioner independently in separate chat rooms.
• The number of times one initiates or respond to queries is traceable in the system record
• All conversations are kept private. Login to registered user account is required to access the chat interface and all users communicate in the form of closed groups.

Impact

• Piloted with members of Debaratana Vejjanukula Foundation, including both general practitioners in remote areas in the Chiang Mai province and medical specialists in the city of Chiang Mai. The application is expected to cover an additional eleven hospitals within the network of the foundation.