Free new app aims to help SCD patients and families manage care
Newsmagazine, health company team up to promote Adroid-based tool
Salveo Therapeutics and the newsmagazine African Sickle Cell News and World Report — known as Sickle Cell News — are collaborating to promote a new free application (app) that seeks to empower sickle cell disease (SCD) patients to take more control of their health and wellbeing.
The overarching aim is to bridge education gaps between care providers and the patient community.
This is particularly needed, Sickle Cell News said in a press release, in regions such as sub-Sahara Africa where the blood disorder is endemic.
Called the My Sickle Care App, the Android-based tool enables patients to track and manage their disease to help improve their life quality. For example, patients can log pain episodes, blood transfusions, sleep patterns, and daily water intake.
The app also covers broader issues, such as career options, mental health, and nutrition.
According to the partners, patients and their family members may use the app to keep track of medications and receive alerts when it’s time to take them. In addition, they can use the application to remind them of upcoming medical appointments.
My Sickle Care App features a community section to help SCD patients globally connect and share views and experiences with each other. It also has frequently asked questions and resources sections, as well as educational videos aimed at heightening disease awareness while guiding patients and their parents and caregivers.
With the app, those with the blood disorder can instantly share personal data with clinicians to help their care team make informed treatment decisions.
We hope that all the digitally connected patients benefit from our initiative.”
“We are thrilled by this opportunity to serve the sickle cell patient community and come together for the greater cause,” said Suchitra Kataria, MD, Salveo’s CEO.
“Sub-Saharan Africa. has the highest SCD burden in the world, and this partnership is a testament to our long-standing commitment to providing a holistic approach to SCD management encompassing symptom control and mental and social well-being,” Kataria said, adding, “We hope that all the digitally connected patients benefit from our initiative.”
Some 120 million people globally are thought to live with SCD. Of them, more than 66% live in Africa, where about 1,000 children are born with the disease daily. More than half of these children die before age 5, usually from severe anemia or infection. SCD is the continent’s most prevalent inherited disorder.
Lagos, Nigeria-based Sickle Cell News is touted as the first newsmagazine dedicated to SCD. Mumbai, India-based Salveo Therapeutics is a digital health company founded in 2020.
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