MP: App to help monitor asymptomatic COVID-19 patients at home

Indore, May 7 () In a bid to keep an eye onasymptomatic coronavirus patients, the city civic body hasimprovised its already existing mobile app 'Indore 311' andadded some new features to it which will also facilitatetreatment of such patients at their homes, an official said.

An eight-member team of the Indian MedicalAssociation (IMA) engaged in the fight against COVID-19 hereis helping the city administration in fine-tuning the app, andthe new features have been added on its suggestions.

Indore, which is one the worst hit by COVID-19 in thecountry, has so far reported a total of 1,681 cases of thedisease and 81 deaths, as per official figures.

"The app is already being used by lakhs of people inIndore since quite some time, but the new features added to itwill be available only to the asymptomatic COVID-19 patientswho have been advised by the health department to gettreatment while remaining home isolation," IMA team member DrSubodh Chaturvedi told .

Such patients are being provided a pulse oximeterwhich would help in monitoring their oxygen level and pulserate at home, he said.

Based on a pre-loaded questionnaire on the app, thepatient or his caregiver will have to daily uploadinformation, like if he has fever over 101 degree Fahrenheitand breathing problems. The patient will also have to answercertain other questions based on common symptoms of COVID-19,"Chaturvedi said.

Doctors deputed at the IMA control room whileconstantly monitor the information provided by the patient andprovide consultation accordingly. If required, the rapidresponse teams will shift the patient to hospital, he said.

A patient or his caregiver can also press the redbutton available on the app to seek medical help in case of anemergency, he said.

"If a patient does not follow the medical advice andsteps out 100 metres away from his house, an alarm would ringat the IMA control room and the patient would be trackedthrough GPS and sent back home," the official said.

Indore's chief medical and health officer PraveenJadia said as per the government's new guidelines, theasymptomatic COVID-19 patients are being advised to stay inhome isolation.

A caregiver is also being deputed for such patient toget medicines for them. The caregiver would also monitor thehealth of a patient regularly and inform the health departmentabout his condition. Based on the information, authoritieswould decided whether the patient needs to be hospitalised, hesaid. HWP LAL MASGK GK