Medical communicator - is an application that allows safe and convenient exchange of text and/or voice messages and files on the doctor-patient line.

The main function of medical instant messaging is chat, so it reminds us of familiar and intuitive contact apps such as Whatsapp, Messenger or Telegram(but you can read about why it's better to use a medical messenger than a commercial one here).

It's worth noting that just as in Whatsapp we only write with people we know, medical instant messenger is also only for contacting a patient the doctor already knows from inpatient visits. Thus, a medical communicator is not a prescriber(you can read about the exact differences here), a commonly understood chat teleport with an unknown patient, or a post-visit chat.

In a recent article prepared jointly with Dr. n. social. Antonina Doroszewska, we looked at the benefits for doctors and patients of using a medical communicator in medical care.

And today we will present the most popular communicators present on the market, both internationally and in Poland.

BeterDichtbij (Netherlands, Belgium⁾¹

BeterDichtbij is the most popular medical communicator in Western Europe, used today by more than 50 hospitals, 25,000 doctors and 750,000 patients. Like most medical communicators, the BeterDichtbij app is used for hybrid doctor-patient contact (extending visits to include ongoing remote contact). Doctors in specialties such as cardiology, dermatology, diabetology, gynecology, pediatrics, pulmonology, neurology, oncology, rheumatology and urology use the app. In addition, BeterDichtbij is used by surgeons as the main channel of contact with patients before and after surgery, and by physical therapists to coordinate patient rehabilitation. Recently, the solution has been expanded to include a chat function between doctors to further facilitate the flow of information between medics.

‍CeloHealth (New Zealand, Australia, United Kingdom, United States)²

Celo Health is a secure medical messenger created by doctors that replaces commercial tools (such as Whatsapp or Messenger) and is primarily used for contact within care teams or between doctors. This app has features that allow doctors to take care of their availability and privacy with a hidden phone number and availability statuses (Online, Do Not Disturb). In addition, it has compliance with the US HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) and the European RODO (General Data Protection Regulation or DPA ). Recently, doctors have also been able to use the so-called external chat, or SMS messaging to patients.

‍Spruce(United States)³.

Spruce Health is one of the most powerful applications for facilitating remote contact with patients who are also managed inpatient. In Spruce Health, a doctor can not only continue and coordinate patient care in a simple chat, but also consult patients with other doctors on his or her team, talk to patients over the phone or via video conference, take a medical history before the next visit, schedule appointments and billing, and even automate tasks (such as scheduling a group vacation message to all patients under his or her care). The solution has U.S. HIPAA compliance and is used today primarily by primary care physicians and psychiatrists.

‍Mediquo(Spain, Portugal)⁴ .

Mediquo is a Spanish secure medical communicator with additional features for medical practice management. This makes the tool suitable for doctors as well as small practices and clinics. By replacing Whatsapp, SMS or Messenger with Mediquo messenger, a doctor can stay in touch with his patients without sharing a private phone number and without having to immediately respond to messages thanks to statuses (online / offline). In addition, he can also manage his calendar and appointments, billing, prescriptions, and exemptions. Today, the app is used by one million users (doctors and patients) and in 2022. Mediquo was the most downloaded medical app in Spain.

‍Doctor.One (Poland)⁵

Doctor.One is Poland's first secure medical messenger, founded in 2022 and used today by more than 2,600 doctors from as many as 30 specialties. The app is the first legally, financially and temporarily regulated tool for remote contact between doctor and patient and replaces informal channels such as Whatsapp, Messenger and SMS. Doctor.One messenger restores privacy, subjectivity and control to the doctor with features such as a hidden private phone number, attaching patients only by invitation from the doctor, and setting an availability time to respond to messages. In addition, the doctor is equipped with basic doctor's office functions available directly in the chat with the patient, such as making diagnoses, prescriptions and taking notes (visible to the doctor and/or patient). A distinguishing feature of the messenger is the subscription for contacting the doctor. This means that the application is not only free for doctors, but also becomes an additional source of income.

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