Targeting patients who are likely to consume the wrong medication due to confusions over similar-looking medicines, a new smartphone app called AIGIA Pharmacist can identify 400 commonly used drugs and medications in Taiwan with the assistance of a drug-photographing device.

The app was developed by National Yang-Ming University associate professor in family medicine Chen Yu-chun. Around 18,000 drugs and medications are currently covered by the country's National Health Insurance (NHI) system, according to Dr Chen as cited by Taiwanese national news publication Focus Taiwan.

Data on these NHI drugs and medications, including more than 8,000 images, have been stored in the cloud data bank for the app. During the testing stage at Taipei Veterans General Hospital, the app was able to identify 90% of home-care medications in Taiwan with an accuracy rate of 95%.

Dr Chen has spent three years developing the medication identification app and acquired a patent for the invention last year. However, the app is currently still in the testing phase and has not been brought to the market yet.

The app would also be available in English, Bahasa Indonesia, Vietnamese and Malay to help foreign domestic caregivers identify medicine.

Dr Chen has seen patients experiencing medical issues after taking the wrong medicines. During home visits, he once found an elderly bed-ridden patient who suffered from stomach gas after mistaking the round white pills prescribed for abdominal distention with those for his prostate issue.