‘It lacks logic’: Doctors slam PMC’s new monitoring app

PUNE: Doctors with private hospitals treating Covid-19 have described a patient monitoring mobile app deployed by the PMC as “illogical” and “coercive”.
The app enables the civic body to keep an eye on the treatment being administered to patients at designated Covid-19 hospitals in the city. It collects patient details to study disease severity, treatment methods and response.

But doctors TOI spoke to said the app’s data entry process is cumbersome. “The civic body is asking an already overburdened nursing workforce to manually fill up every patient's details on this app. Nurses have to use their own mobile phone to do this. This demand from them is illogical and coercive,” said Sanjay Pathare, the medical director of the Ruby Hall Clinic in the city.
Nurses are not allowed to use their personal phones while on duty.
“Even if they (the software company that developed the app) create a desktop version of the application, is the PMC really expecting 15 nurses to line up next to a desktop to fill up data after each shift?” Pathare asked.
Nursing staff in Covid wards are also always in personal protective gear that severely restrict easy movement. “But despite the discomfort, they are doing their best to ensure patients recover. It is unethical to burden them with additional data entry work,” he added.
Doctors said the app needs information — every patient’s demographic data and medication protocols — which is already being sent out to the civic body twice a day by hospitals.
“We anyway submit morning and evening data of Covid-positive patients who are on oxygen therapy, high-flow oxygen therapy and ventilators. So what is the need for another software application?” Pathare asked.
He also alleged that the software company's executives used “harsh language” at doctors and warned that hospitals not using the app would be blacklisted.
Jitendra Oswal, deputy medical director of Bharati hospital, said data entry work for the app has added to the workload.
“Many hospitals currently have staff shortages. If officials from the municipal corporation want to assess the condition of admitted patients, they can carry out surprise checks of hospitals. We are now uploading data that we send out every day.”
Oswal added, “The PMC should reduce the amount of data and reports that have to be submitted by hospitals. These requirements are a waste of both manpower and precious time.”
Sajay Patil, chairman of the Indian Medical Association's Hospital Board of India, Pune chapter, said, “Hospitals in the city have objected to the use of this mobile app. We are meeting municipal commissioner Vikram Kumar on Monday to resolve this problem.”
Sanjeev Wavare, the assistant medical officer of health, PMC, said, “We will talk to the hospitals and doctors if they have any concerns about the app.”