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*other details to be accomplished by client
Product: Accecare
(App logo)
Background
In this time of pandemic, health has become the number one priority; either voluntarily or
not. Due to the high rate of infectivity brought about by COVID-19, everyone has an unwritten
responsibility to care not only for their own health but for others. Government protocols have already
been set in place to serve as guidelines for people to follow; social distancing, self-quarantine, and
immediate examination for persons of interest. Unlike other infectious diseases such as HIV and flu
(which accounted for a high mortality rate), the new disease’s ability to spread in a rapid rate
destabilized society’s normal functionality (Tardy, 2020).
Aside from the ushering of the “new normal,” a state where all citizens are required to break
away from their normal proceedings to prevent the spread of the disease, another problem that
arose is its vague symptoms. Unlike other infectious diseases that have a closed set of early or late
symptoms, scientific journals have been springing left and right identifying new possible symptoms for
the disease (Klonowska & Bindt, 2020). Symptoms such as gastrointestinal (Zhang et al., 2020), urinary
(Mumm et al., 2020), and even somatic are some of the most recent diagnoses that creates a possible
link with COVID-19 (Liu et al., 2020). Thus, patients within a vast spectrum of symptoms are easily put
under clinical observation, accounting for hospital and clinic overcrowding especially and low and
middle-income countries (Zar et al., 2020).
Physician availability during the pandemic
At this stage, most hospitals are pouring their efforts against COVI-19, deeming healthcare
experts as the “frontliners” against this disease. This concentration of efforts led to shift of focus to
coronavirus patients from patients experiencing a different affliction. During the initial wave of
infections in France, access to the national emergency number temporarily became unavailable due
to the overwhelming number of calls from frantic people who suspects that they have acquired the
disease (Goulabachand, Claret, & Lattuca, 2020). Additionally, ICU beds and hospital wards are
continuously being occupied, creating an overcrowded and bustling environment in health centers
and clinics (Manca, Caldiroli, & Storti, 2020).
This raises the question: are people suffering from an illness or disease other than COVID-19
put in a disadvantage? With ramping paranoia of going outside and the increasing number of
coronavirus incidents, quality healthcare seems to be harder to access these days. Therefore, how can
we equalize the catering of services between COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients?
Our Proposed Solution
Therefore, we proudly propose our conceptualized solution to this problem: Accecare.
Basic Features
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Accecare is a mobile telehealth app that aims to bridge patients and quality healthcare
anytime and anywhere.
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The app offers major features: a developing medical profile, face-to-face online consultation
with healthcare professionals, and live hospital and clinic queuing.
A Developing Medical Profile
Accecare’s medical profiler tracks your health lifestyle by
assessing your basic inputs:
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The medical profiler creates health suggestions
based on the data that you will provide; such as age,
weight, drinking/smoking habit, diet plan, etc.
•
It will then create a personalized health plan that you
can follow. For example, if the data diagnosis reveals
that you have been consuming too much alcohol, it
will create a plan in order to decrease the habit, one
week at a time.
•
Additionally, the medical profiler can also detect
risky behaviors and can refer you to physicians in
(User interface concept)
order to preemptively determine your health status.
Online Consultation and Live Queue Tracker
Accecare’s online consultation feature enables you to avail the advice of a professional
doctors or physician without ever having to leave your home.
•
If a physical examination requires you to visit a hospital or clinic,
Accecare’s live queue tracker will help you determine the most
Royal Columbian
Hospital
330 E Columbia St, New
Westminster, BC V3L 3W7,
Canada
convenient health center to visit; to beat the hassle and the traffic.
•
During this pandemic, users who suspect that they might have acquired
the coronavirus can seek the professional advice of a doctor to alleviate
unnecessary panic and to make an informed decision before going out,
possibly preventing the user from exposure to the disease if they don’t
have it in the first place.
•
The app also has a medical record feature, saving your diagnosis taken
from your online consultations with your chosen health experts.
(User interface concept)
Target Market
During these times, aside from making healthcare more accessible to the general population,
Accecare specifically wants to cater to people who are recently struggling to avail of medical attention
due to the strain that the pandemic has put on the healthcare field. These are the middle to late-aged
demographic group (40 to 60 yrs old and above). Statistics show that older people are at most risk
when it comes to COVID infection and has the highest mortality rate among COVID-19 related deaths
(Carter et al., 2020). These are also the groups that are prone to illnesses that require constant
medical attention and maintenance treatments, such as diabetes, chronic kidney disease (dialysis
patients), and most respiratory illnesses.
Additionally, digital literacy among older people is prevalent in these days. Research shows
that people born from the 1930s and 1940s show “competitiveness” when using modern-day
technology, such as mobile phones and social media platforms (Bowen, 2011). Therefore, the app’s
online platform would not be a problem in promoting its use.
The 4 Ps: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion
Product
•
Accecare, a telehealth app that offers online medical check-ups, a developing medical profile,
and a live queue tracker of nearby hospitals and clinics.
•
Although there is already an established market for telehealth apps in Canada, Accecare’s
strength is its incorporation of multiple features into a single program.
•
The product can be vital in the flattening of the COVID-19 in Canada, as cases continue to
soar and hospitals bearing the brunt of the increase.
•
Likewise, Accecare also gives patients with different afflictions a chance to avail of healthcare
services without risking going out and possible acquiring the disease.
Price
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The app will generate revenue through subscription fees, packages that increases the user’s
access of in-app features.
•
Users without a plan subscription can utilize the medical profiler feature. For people who
wants to maximize the use of the app, the basic subscription plan unlocks the live queue
tracker for hospitals and clinics while the premium subscription plan grants users a number of
online consultations with their chosen healthcare experts (depending on availability).
•
The subscription plan runs for a whole month. Users can opt to subscribe for a longer
subscription plan for a lower price (as compared to subscribing for individual months).
Place
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The app is Canada-based; hospitals and doctors featured in the app will be determined by the
location of the user.
•
The app automatically integrates the nearest hospitals and clinics found in the location of the
user.
•
It will be available for both Android and Iphone users.
Promotion
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The app will be promoted through a mix of social media marketing, TV show advertisements,
and the traditional recommendation (made by our partner doctors and professionals).
•
During its launch, subscription fees will be offered for a lower price. Additionally, users who
successfully refer the app to other people will be given an incentive (subscription discount).
Product Position
Accecare’s strength builds on the fact that most Canadian telehealth apps only have one or
two dedicated purposes. Thus, the app capitalizes on this by refining those features and combining
them into one accessible application. It’s AI integration in the medical profiler and live queue tracker
feature aims to be the differential factor that separates Accecare from other existing telehealth apps.
References
Carter, B., et al. “Nosocomial COVID-19 Infection: Examining the Risk of Mortality. The COPE-Nosocomial Study
(COVID in Older PEople).” Journal of Hospital Infection, 2020, doi:10.1016/j.jhin.2020.07.013.
Goulabchand, Radjiv, et al. “What If the Worst Consequences of COVID-19 Concerned Non-COVID Patients?”
Journal of Infection and Public Health, 2020, doi:10.1016/j.jiph.2020.06.014.
Joshi, Rajnish, et al. “Diabetes Care during COVID-19 Lockdown at a Tertiary Care Centre in India.” Diabetes
Research and Clinical Practice, vol. 166, 2020, p. 108316., doi:10.1016/j.diabres.2020.108316.
Liu, Shengyi, et al. “Somatic Symptoms and Concern Regarding COVID-19 among Chinese College and Primary
School Students: A Cross-Sectional Survey.” Psychiatry Research, vol. 289, 2020, p. 113070.,
doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113070.
Manca, Davide, et al. “A Simplified Math Approach to Predict ICU Beds and Mortality Rate for Hospital
Emergency Planning under Covid-19 Pandemic.” Computers & Chemical Engineering, vol. 140, 2020, p.
106945., doi:10.1016/j.compchemeng.2020.106945.
Mumm, Jan-Niclas, et al. “Urinary Frequency as a Possibly Overlooked Symptom in COVID-19 Patients: Does
SARS-CoV-2 Cause Viral Cystitis?” European Urology, 2020, doi:10.1016/j.eururo.2020.05.013.
Zar, Heather J., et al. “Challenges of COVID-19 in Children in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.” Paediatric
Respiratory Reviews, 2020, doi:10.1016/j.prrv.2020.06.016.
Zhang, Hu, et al. “Clinical Characteristics of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Patients with Gastrointestinal
Symptoms: A Report of 164 Cases.” Digestive and Liver Disease, 2020, doi:10.1016/j.dld.2020.04.034.
Tardy, T. (Ed.). (2020). COVID-19: NATO in the Age of Pandemics (pp. 13-20, Rep.). NATO Defense College.
doi:10.2307/resrep25148.8
Klonowska, K., & Bindt, P. (2020). (Rep.). Hague Centre for Strategic Studies. doi:10.2307/resrep24004
Bowen, L. (2011). Resisting Age Bias in Digital Literacy Research. College Composition and Communication, 62(4),
586-607. Retrieved July 30, 2020, from www.jstor.org/stable/23006907