The new app provides a structured format to detect Covid-19 symptoms

A NEW clinical tool in the form of an app developed in Scotland has given frontline staff additional confidence to confront coronavirus in patients.

The tool has been piloted by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde at the Linwood Community Assessment Centre where nurses, advanced nurse practitioners and GPs have used it to help treat suspected Covid19 patients.

The app has been rapidly developed from conception to pilot stage within a month. This was made possible through collaboration between NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, NHS Education for Scotland, Daysix, a design agency, and the Digital Health & Care Institute – a collaboration between the Glasgow School of

Art and the University of Strathclyde.

Where previously staff would record patient information in free text, the app provides a structured format for NHS staff to assess patients in a standardised way.

The app prompts clinicians to record specific symptoms, patient details and clinical decisions through a mobile or desktop app.

Not only does it help clinicians identify suspected Covid-19, it also ensures signs of other illnesses or diseases are picked up too.

Professor George Crooks OBE, chief executive of the Digital Health & Care Institute, said: “This collaboration clearly demonstrates how digital solutions can be quickly developed and deployed in partnership to support frontline staff and deliver safe and effective services for patients.”