Jodhpur: Usually, when a doctor writes a prescription that includes the ailment, vital parameters and medicines, patients either are ignorant about the details or seem disinterested to understand the nitty-gritty. Oftentimes, they struggle to decipher the handwriting of the doctors and gauge the dosage of medicines from the number of dots or lines a medical practitioner mentions. Not anymore. Now, for those who wish to know the exactness of the prescription have a way to understand everything mentioned by the doctors.
The portal provides information about the prescribed medicines, in the user’s preferred language, through an audio format. This could include the dosage, potential side effects of composition or some questions that remain unanswered.
Professor Ashwani Singh, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacy, explained that this innovation was created by a group of three students Kartik, Suraj, and Keshav. The team intends to patent the innovation, after which it will be made available for public use.
Ranked among the top 10 entries at a recent hackathon organized by Dr. S.N. Medical College, the hackathon’s organizing secretary and Head of the Department of Neurosurgery Dr. Sharad Thanvi said the project was selected because it aimed at simplifying healthcare services.
An important feature of the portal is its easy access in six different languages, including Rajasthani, Hindi, English, Gujarati, Punjabi, and Telugu. “This initiative is particularly helpful for those who find it difficult to understand medical instructions written in English, as it allows them to easily access comprehensive details about their medications. Many a time, the patient is hesitant to ask questions to the doctors even as doctors too do not reveal much information unless queried about. So this application comes to your help,” explains Kartik.
He also said, while patients typically purchase the medicines prescribed by their doctors, they often remain unaware of the specific condition or symptom for which each medication has been prescribed. Even family members are frequently left confused regarding the names of the medicines and their intended use or dosage. The portal has been developed with this specific issue in mind, he further informed.
By uploading a doctor’s prescription to the portal, users can identify the prescribed medications and access relevant information about them. “This helps patients better understand their medications and enables them to ask the right questions to their doctors or pharmacists when needed,” adds Suraj.
Health-related information is often presented in a language that is not easily understood by everyone, which becomes even bigger a concern for the elderly living in rural areas.
Kartik went on to say that their goal is to ensure the portal provides accurate and precise information and that it will be regularly updated to maintain this standard. “Since prescriptions contain a patient’s personal information, the portal has been designed to ensure secure usage and data privacy,” he added.
This initiative by pharmacy students has leveraged technology to make health-related information accessible to the general public. Portals like Dawa Mitra can play a big role in raising awareness among patients regarding their medications, said Singh.
However, the utility of the portal will ultimately depend on the accuracy and authenticity of the information provided, as well as how consistently it is updated.
Once all the aspects are properly taken care of, the portal could serve as a useful tool for promoting the safe use of medications and enhancing health awareness, Singh added.
Additionally, the web portal provides information on various health-related schemes available in Rajasthan and across India. Work is in progress to help people access information and register for various schemes from this same application so that patients do not have to wander from place to place, Singh added.
