Jiffpad launches to innovate communication in healthcare

Author: Thuc Huynh, MD

Last Tuesday at Techcrunch Disrupt, Jiff Inc launched their stealth product called Jiffpad.  It is an app made for the iPad to help patients and doctors communicate with each other.

How many times have you been to the doctor, talk with them about a diagnosis and treatment plan, and then go home only to forget what was said?  Some physicians draw what they mean.  But how many times have patients gone home only to wonder what the scribbles were?  Jiffpad seeks to change that.

The app comprises pre-loaded images of nearly every part of the human body.  As a physician, you can select images pertinent to a subject and create a personalized storyboard complete with your own voice and favorite explanation for that problem.  You can control when the images show, zooming in and out of the image, as well as using a stylus (or finger) to draw lines or add text.  Once you save the file, you will be able to store it in the ipad and use it for any patient with that problem.

Jiffpad essentially replaces those expensive, plastic, easily broken models that physicians use in the office.  Instead, a physician can go through the narrative with the patient in the office, and then email the file to the patient through the app.  The patient can then access the file on any web-enabled device so they can remember what you said or share it with their family.



The app has been in stealth mode for the past two years.  The Jiff team launched on stage at Techcrunch Disrupt with positive reception.  The app itself is free to patients but will cost an unknown amount to physicians.  The company states that physicians can get sponsored by hospitals or clinics in order to receive the license.  Bearing in mind that by doing so, it may change the design of the app to contain the sponsor's branding message.

In any event, this represents a good movement towards better patient care and patient empowerment.  The communication between doctors and patients is vital for good health.  Innovation in this space is definitely welcome.

For more information about Jiffpad, visit their website here.  To see the company launch on stage, you can view a recording of the event here.

Author:

Dr. Thuc Huynh is a physician and webpreneur. She is the founder of Scrubd.in, a medical mobile apps shopping site and MDSalaries.net, a website reporting physician salaries for every specialty. She is also chief operating officer of Scutwork.com, the leading website for residency program reviews. Her main interest lies around mobile health and web apps for medical education, patient empowerment, and medical technology. Dr Huynh graduated as chief resident and teacher of the year from her family medicine residency in Rapid City, SD. She received her M.D. at the Medical University of the Americas.