App helps doctors and patients make decisions together

[projekktor id=’17648′]
A McMaster University researcher hopes to change the way doctors interact with their patients. Dr. Thomas Agoritsas is in the process of developing an app that could become integral to making choices about treatment. Despite major advances in medical research, surgery and treatment, interactions between doctors and patients haven’t changed all that much. “Its all about the doctor making the decision and the patient listening to the doctor” says Dr. Agoritsas.

That’s why Agoritsas and his team came up with “share-it” – an app that helps doctors and patients make decisions together. Instead of sending a patient home with reading material, a doctor could use the app to share relevant statistics during an appointment.

So far, the prototype has been well received by patients and doctors. “The discovered things about their patients they may not know. For example, I play basketball, I play hockey…I have activities that matter to me and influence my choice of taking the medication.”

Unlike pamphlets, the app would be updated with the latest medical research. Its expected to be ready for public use in the next two years.