Inspiration
The creators of the project were inspired by the "Improving Health Outcomes" track at MedHacks. With the vaccination rates in the United States continuing to decrease, vaccine-preventable infectious diseases are spreading rapidly, prompting a need for interventions to get more people vaccinated.
What it does
This is where our idea comes into play. As more and more people are using smartphones and relying on apps to monitor their health, we realized that there is not a user-friendly app that assists consumers in taking control of their immunization records. So, we created VaxNow, a consumer-oriented app that assists people in monitoring vaccinations for themselves and their children and reminds them when vaccines are due.
How we built it
Built with React Native and Expo – iOS/Android!
Challenges we ran into
Was a bit too ambitious with the features we wanted, but the MVP ended up being solid.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We're proud of our design. It's a modern take taking inspiration from Apple's Health app, a stark contrast to CDC's own official app for providers.
VaxNow is a consumer-friendly, free, easy to use app that does not have ads, bypasses login, and minimizes text input to be as streamlined as possible. The app is available to anyone with a smartphone, making it an accessible option for many people and families who may or may not be able to see a Health Care Provider on a regular basis.
What we learned
According to Kolff, Scott, and Stockwell (2018), "in the United States, around 95% of adults have a cell phone, with high levels of ownership among diverse populations differing by race/ethnicity, education, income, age, and community type." The use of technology in impacting the health of populations through providing access to important health information is becoming increasingly important in our nation, especially in keeping our citizens healthy.
The increased use of technology by patients, families, and providers has allowed for an increase in technology-based interventions to improve vaccination rates, which is what our app hopes to accomplish (Kolff et al, 2018). In fact, a 2012 study noted a 19% increase in influenza vaccination due to text message reminders, showing how an app devoted to vaccinations can not only continue to increase our vaccination rate, but to also keep our nation healthy (Stockwell, Kharbanda, Martinez, Vargas, Vawdrev & Camargo, 2012).
Research shows that most app users are satisfied with the use of health apps in comparison to users of conventional health care and that apps have a positive impact on health-related behaviors, making it the ideal solution for staying up-to-date with vaccinations (Han & Lee, 2018). Reminder-recalls are a cornerstone of vaccine interventions, and we hope our app can promote better health outcomes in the United States.
What's next for VaxNow
Improve vaccination rates and health outcomes in the United States
Work with the CDC to get the VaxNow app advertised nationally
Log in or sign up for Devpost to join the conversation.