MediVoice App

MEDIVOICE APP

Most people now have a smart phone with a touch keypad. The MediVoice app emulates the old style numeric keypad so that those with speech difficulties can communicate quickly and easily at a small fraction of the cost of high tech equipment. The app has also been assessed and recognised by ORCHA which is the world’s leading health app evaluation and advisory organisation.

Currently only available for Android OS on Google Playstore.

THE STORY OF THE APP

Jaspal enjoyed a busy social life. When she was struck down with motor neurone disease, she was determined to continue to attend her friend’s social events and entertaining people at her home. When Jaspal lost her voice, she was given communication aids by the local hospital; some simple and some using technology. These solutions were slow and tiring to use as well as being bulky for going out.

The final straw was when Jaspal was admitted into hospital to have a feeding peg inserted, some of the nurses in the ward were not aware of the symptoms of MND. They expected her to press the buzzer or call out for their attention not understanding that she could not turn her body, move her arms, use her hands or call out.

This is what inspired me to develop ‘MediVoice App’ and hope others in similar situations do not have to endure this painful experience.

JASPAL’S SOLUTION

Initially, Jaspal would make the mouth movement of a letter and we would write it down to make words and sentences. With 26 letters it was difficult for us and frustrating for Jaspal to accurately identify each letter. Jaspal solved this by using the number keypad of a mobile phone. She only had a choice of 8 numbers to tell us and predictive text would quickly tell us which word she wanted. A phone is portable, unobtrusive and well understood by most people.

USER GUIDE

After opening the app, the user makes the mouth movement of the number that corresponds to the first letter they want to communicate. After each letter the user should blink once to confirm the right number had been input; blink once for yes and twice for no. Repeat this process until the word is complete. A possible list of complete words are displayed on the screen. Press on the correct word to start the next. For example to spell “hello” is 43556.

Medivoice Android app

The app comes with a 4,000 word dictionary but there are always new words or names that don’t exist. In order to add a new word to the dictionary, press the number corresponding to the first letter and keep pressing until the correct letter appears. Repeat for all letters of the word until the word is complete. Highlight the word by pressing and holding on the word. After 3 seconds an option will appear to “Add to dictionary”. Press this button and the new word will be stored.

Once a sentence is complete, there is an option to share via text message. When ready press the share icon and the message will be copied to your default texting application ready to be sent.

PERSONAL HEALTHCARE PASSPORT

Medivoice Android app

In the event of an incident, it is essential to communicate some basic medical information to doctors and paramedics to receive the correct treatment. The personal healthcare passport holds the basic information required by medical staff such as illnesses, medicines and allergies. The app also holds lifestyle and capability information in the event that the patient is admitted to hospital. From “Do I need help to sit up in bed” to “What TV shows do I enjoy”. This information helps nursing staff understand the needs of the patient, making the patients stay in hospital as pleasant as possible.

This is currently available for Android operating systems only e.g Samsung, Sony, LG, Huawei, Google, Nokia, Motorola.