Local surgeon Dr Neal Goldstein, in collaboration with EPI-USE, a global software company, has developed and launched LogBox, which allows patients to safely capture and share their personal information electronically with medical practitioners and any other healthcare professionals. LogBox is a free mobile and web-based application.
A step towards digitising South African medical practices, LogBox saves patients the time previously wasted in repeatedly filling in or updating paper forms at each medical practice they visit. Patients’ electronic information is captured once and then shared multiple times in the future with other medical practices that subscribe to LogBox, with explicit consent.
The application is universally applicable and not restricted to any medical aid nor hospital group. Apart from doctors, it can be used by any person involved in the healthcare industry, including dieticians, physiotherapists and optometrists, to name a few.
LogBox offers doctors and allied healthcare professionals a secure, easy to use, POPI-compliant application that is hosted in the cloud. It records and keeps patients’ personal information without the need for reams of paper and admin-related delays.
“LogBox, unlike current tools available, is a universal service that can be used by any patient and any medical professional. We are proud to say that LogBox has been successfully piloted at the Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre,” says Dr Goldstein.
Dr Sue Tager, CEO and hospital manager at Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre, welcomes the efficiencies that LogBox brings to the hospital.
“Patients are often stressed and anxious when they visit a medical professional, and the last thing that they want to do is get caught up in repetitive admin, filling in forms with the same information that they’ve had to supply many times already,” she says. “The practices at our hospital are able to offer a less stressful waiting room experience to their patients, confident that they have the correct information, as admin staff don’t have to struggle to read hand-written forms.”
According to the results of a recent survey about filling in paper-based forms at medical practices, nearly 90% of respondents said they find it extremely frustrating and time consuming to fill in or update personal information forms at every medical practice they visit. With 85% of respondents visiting at least ten different medical practitioners in a year, the number of paper-forms filled out annually is substantial.
Respondents were also frustrated that there was no easier alternative to repeatedly updating personal information prior to medical appointments, than to complete paper forms at every visit.
According to Phillip Loots of EPI-USE: “A major departure from competitive products is that with LogBox the patient owns and controls their data and not the provider. LogBox is a platform that can be used within any industry that needs personal information to enable delivery of their services. It has been engineered by our team to be scalable, accommodating large numbers of users, adheres to global best practices in security, and is compliant with current POPI legislation.”
For patients, LogBox works in three easy steps.
* Download the free app (available on iOS and Android) or visit the website www.logbox.co.za, and register as a user by capturing your personal information, such as your name, address and medical aid details.
*Once a user, you can register and load your dependents such as your spouse, partner or children’s personal information to your user profile, if applicable.
* You are now ready to share your information with medical practitioners subscribed to the service, and no longer have to fill in paper forms. Simply scan the QR code in the waiting room and you are ready to see the doctor.
For medical practitioners and allied healthcare professionals:
* Register on the LogBox website – www.logbox.co.za – and you will receive your own unique QR code. New practices can enjoy a free 30-day trial period, with a minimal monthly subscription activated after this expires.
* When visiting your practice, patients scan your QR code, and their relevant information is shared quickly, accurately, and securely with you.
* This patient data seamlessly integrates with multiple existing healthcare software systems.
LogBox overcomes the single most irritating part of visiting a new medical professional for patients, and eliminates the potential for incorrect data capture within medical practices.