Smartphone App Could Help Diagnose Respiratory Diseases

A smartphone app could diagnose respiratory conditions in patients with the sound of their cough. The app called as ResApp was developed by Associate Professor Udantha Abeyratne at The University of Queensland. The app will undergo a trial at the Wesley Hospital Emergency Department, Queensland. The trial will involve 400 adult participants.

The patient will have to record their coughs using ResApp. The recording coughs will be sent to a lab for analysis, after which the app will provide a diagnosis. Blood tests and X-rays will be used to cross-refer the diagnosis.

Dr John Feenstra, Wesley Hospital, said that the app offers a simple method for medical practitioners to identify more severe, life-threatening conditions such as pneumonia.

“People can still die of pneumonia in this day and age, and we would want to prioritize those patients,” he said.

The app is quick, cost-effective and enables immediate treatment.

A study that involved children found the ResApp was 90 percent accurate in diagnosing asthma, bronchiolitis, and pneumonia.

People who have a cough for more than three weeks or wheezing, fever, and shortness of breath should see a doctor, said Dr Sean Pham.

Source-Medindia