#OmanPride: App to help bridge doctor-patient gap in Oman

Muscat: Around 25 of Oman’s leading breast cancer specialists, from both government and private hospitals, have worked on an app that could help bridge the gap between doctors and patients.
The Oman Breast Cancer Guide, found on iTunes and in the Google Play store, is a free mobile app that has the potential to change people’s lives and not just women.
Dr Taha Mohsin Al Lawati, oncologist and cancer specialist at the Royal Hospital, said breast cancer affects everyone.
“Starting from 2005, we have had three or four cases of men with breast cancer. The problem with breast cancer in women is that the female is like the spinal cord of the family. When she is sick, the whole family is sick,” Al Lawati said.
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The app was originally created to set an international standard for all doctors and hospitals in Oman to practice by. The first draft was written, then reviewed, then re-written, and reviewed. It took two months to read each draft and around six months to complete.
“In the end, we ended with this protocol, which is suitable and goes with international standards and is based on international recommendations,” Al Lawati stated. After the book was published and more than 1,000 copies distributed, it was decided that it was wiser if the guidelines were available online.
“Everybody in Oman is coming and going, whether for training or studies, people are resigning and what not. But having it on the Ministry of Health’s website was difficult to get to, so we decided to have it as an app.”
Not only is the app a guideline for medical professionals, but for the public as well. By navigating the app, people are guided through step-by-step procedures, including diagnosis, surgery and even post therapy.
“Is there anything more important than health? We said, let’s give it to the people to have at their fingertips. So when we have a patient diagnosed with breast cancer, at least they will have something that is dependable. Unlike other apps, this is an app that has been created by the best in the field and the best in the country,” Al Lawati noted.