eMedhub

Inspiration

In the modern world of medicine, there are so many drugs out there to treat so many different minor illnesses, often overlapping in effects. This makes it very difficult for individuals to know which medicine is best suited to their symptoms and conditions. Personally, the number of times I have had a headache and not known which medicine to take is countless. Internet searches retrieve no useful results and are often unreliable, leading to forums containing no responses from professionals. Furthermore, contacting the doctors is time-consuming and unnecessary for such minor illnesses, especially in Covid-19 times. Thus, there is a lack of reliable sources to obtain the optimal medication, which results in a) no medicine and continued suffering, or, even worse, b) a complete guess at which drug to take. The consequences could be harmful, worsening an individual's condition in a potentially life-threatening manner.

What it does

App sign-up When you first use the app, it will ask a list of screening questions such as age, gender, allergies, chronic illnesses, pre-existing medical conditions. This will help the app to rule out medication that should not be used before searching for potential solutions to your symptoms. Drug recommendations The app first allows you to select areas of the body where you have symptoms, following to ask more specific questions about the nature of these. For example, if you select the head, follow-up questions may include a more specific location, period of the issue, and possible causes. Before advancing, if any serious symptoms (eg. major bleeds, stroke symptoms) are inputted, the app will advise the user to seek immediate medical attention. After getting all the necessary inputs, the app compares this to the stored database of medicine within the app, matching the symptoms to provide a more personalised recommendation/list of recommendations. You can filter these suggestions by price, company, size, and form (eg. tablet, liquid). For each match on the list, you can see potential side effects, dosage, storage, instructions for consumption, warnings for when not to use this medicine, and any other information provided by the drug company. All these specifics will be displayed in a much more condensed, readable manner than traditional leaflets that come with drugstore medication, which are usually thrown away upon purchase. Pharmacy locations After selecting the medicine that is right for you, the eMedhub app displays a map, highlighting the local pharmacies where you can buy it. This feature allows you to instantly find the nearest pharmacy with the lowest price for the medicine. The participating pharmacies will be in partnership with the app, sharing their location and stock with us. Pharmacy consultations If you are still unsure about the recommendations provided, you will have the option of calling one of the partnered pharmacies directly, allowing you to obtain professional medical advice without the time and effort involved with going to the doctors or pharmacist in person. In the midst of Covid-19, this will also enable lower contact, allowing individuals to get medicine for minor illnesses safely and efficiently. Discounts from miles The app will also have an additional feature to keep people moving and encourage a healthy lifestyle. The option to connect apps such as Strava and Nike Run Club allows the app access to running data. With each mile you run, points build up. These points can be used to get discounts at our partnered pharmacies. These discounts could be money off, free gifts or multibuy offers.

How we built it

We didn't.

Challenges we ran into

• Why would pharmacies agree to partner with eMedhub and share their information? Because it will allow them to become more well-recognised.
• Why would the pharmacies offer discounts? Because we are providing them with more custom through recommending their stores to purchase medication.
• What if individuals use the app to find medication for major illnesses for which they should be seeking doctor's advice? We decided to specify minor illnesses within the app and recommend seeking medical advice for serious symptoms.
• How do we access or compile a database of medicine?
• How do we fund app updates? Including commercials in the app, or offering premium features (such as consultations and discounts) for paid members to the app.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are proud that we have managed to create an idea that fills a gap in the market, and that it is something that is not currently available. Not only does our app help individuals find the medicine they need, but it also encourages people to lead a healthier lifestyle. It is also mindful of the Covid-19 pandemic, reducing contact where it is not needed.

What we learned

Throughout the process of creating our idea, we have learnt that there are more facilities out there than we initially thought (we found that several of our first ideas were unoriginal when we searched for them online). Because of this, we found it helpful to focus on a specific problem and use this to form a solution. We also learnt how to draft an idea properly, coming up with every aspect and detail to the final design based on the potential users and issue they currently face.

What's next for eMedhub

1. Compile a database of medication and symptoms associated.
2. Create an algorithm to match the symptoms of the individual to the medication based on matches between the two.
3. Build the app, including inputs from the user, and display lists of suggestions.
4. Partner with pharmacies and companies to be advertised in the app.
5. Connect to running apps, and create a section of the app for discounts and offers.

Built With

• databases
• python