CovMD

CovMD.org

The problem

There is a dire lack of clear guidelines for doctors and the current landscape of exchange of expertise on COVID-19 is scattered. Virtual webinars and government/WHO case management protocols may not be niche enough or updated enough, especially for doctors in underdeveloped countries.

Our solution

_ CovMD is a platform with one simple goal: to connect doctors around the world to each other. _ covmd.org, a functional website built with WordPress, enables doctors to provide and receive COVID-19 expertise and support, wherever they are, whatever resources they have. From discussing academic collaboration with another expert through one-on-one private video chat to asking a question about a specific case on the forum, doctors are empowered with CovMD. The first feature allows doctors in need to be paired up with experienced physicians to offer individualized consultations-- personal or professional, related to COVID-19. The consultations can occur through video chat, already integrated with agora.io in the website. No two interactions between doctors are alike. Some calls may be oriented around sharing technical expertise, some may be to just talk to each other in times of need. The website provides doctors with the agency to choose and shape their experience to their preference, in a way that other medical platforms don't. In addition, doctors will be able to ask questions and respond to queries on the forum, and immediately search up the latest discussion on drugs and the most recent updates on vaccines or treatment. The forum will also include translated case studies specific to COVID-19 treatment. The idea is to layout quick and reliable information on the platform similarly to sites like Quora and Reddit, but specifically tailored for doctors tackling COVID-19.

What we have done during the weekend

We have developed a functional website through WordPress, collected feedback from 100+ doctors with a survey and built a solid business model. The survey, in English, Mandarin Chinese and French, gave us particularly significant insight from doctors around the world: 45% of doctors reported a “Lack of clear guidelines”, 32% described a “Lack of expert advice on managing Covid-19 cases” and 15% “do not know where to look for expert advice”. When asked how valuable would suggestions and stories from foreign doctors with Covid-19 experiences be, on a scale of 1 to 5, all doctors responded within 3-5, 44% of them 5 out 5. 60% of doctors stated regularly discussing COVID-19 issues and cases on online platforms, and among the 40% that did not, two-thirds were open to doing it in the future. Interestingly, the main online platforms used by the doctors were Facebook, Whatsapp, far ahead of the main existing medical platforms, which do not provide one-to-one video chats and multilingual platform. => These results indicate that doctors prefer to connect on a personal basis and highlight the need for an international platform allowing doctors to provide and receive Covid-19 expertise.

Our solution’s impact on the crisis

_“The virus doesn’t care about borders.” Bill Gates, 12 April 2020. _ Our solutions to COVID-19 shouldn’t either. Doctors around the world are tending to millions of COVID-19 patients and having to deliver bad news as the death toll surpasses 200,000. Not to mention, they are dealing with a rapidly spreading virus and having to adapt their practice day-to-day to best treat patients. As per the abovementioned survey results and the doctors and mentors we have personally spoken to, our solution has the potential to bridge the expertise gap by providing doctors around the world with a novel platform empowering them in this global fight. CovMD is a platform where they can call, consult cases on forums and attend webinars with other doctors more easily.

Our next steps to continue the project

1: Pilot testing 2: Expanding user base and refining platform 3: Expansion of new features

1: Pilot testing: We are starting the testing of the website with doctors who answered the survey. We have reached out to Ghana Medical Association to seek opportunities to collaborate with them. We are also participating in MIT COVID-19 Challenge in Africa to look for potential partners there. We will also be contacting other medical associations with our contacts to find opportunities for further pilot test. 2: Expanding user base and refining platform : We will start hosting Covid-19 webinars with Q&A, with top medical experts, and contact MDs through partner channels (:FB groups, medical associations, MIT/EU networks) 3: Expansion of new features: Building upon a growing pool of doctors and sufficient funding, we will set-up an intelligent matchmaking algorithm between doctors in need and expert physicians, acknowledging the varying needs across resources and countries.

The value of our solution(s) after the crisis

Post-COVID, this platform can leverage on the existing user network of doctors and hospitals and operate as a platform for clinicians to apply for fellowship and exchange programmes across many hospitals in the world. Currently this process is fragmented and both the hospitals and doctors can benefit from such a platform which provides information on application requirement, deadline and allow clinicians to submit all applications and request references at one go. The Covid-tried match-making algorithm, fine-tuned for Covid-19 issues, may also become relevant to deal with different sorts of health challenges requiring global, coordinated responses at the level of doctors.

The URL to the prototype: www.covmd.org

The URL to the pitchvideo: https://youtu.be/3Tv9wxWOAd4

Overall: CovMD aims at connecting doctors from around the world together in a single platform. Our purpose is to enable doctors to provide and receive COVID-19 expertise and support, wherever they are, whatever resources they have: from discussing academic collaboration with another expert through one-on-one private video chat to asking a question about a specific case on the forum. We are working every day to make this humble website a warm place where every doctor can feel heard, supported, and empowered in this common, global fight against COVID-19.