Canadian health management app CareClinic enhancing Advanced Care Planning feature through awareness program

TORONTO, Oct. 19, 2020 /CNW/ - With CareClinic's Advanced Care Planning feature, the Canadian based health management app aims to raise awareness and educate Canadians on the importance of planning ahead and having a living will legally documented and accessible, not only for their loved ones but also for front-line health workers.

HOW THE APP WORKS

CareClinic's customizable Advance Care Planning (ACP) module works by allowing patients to choose which sections of the app are most relevant to them and their care needs. The feature offers users all necessary functionalities that are crucial to managing their health and preparing for their future through detailed and systematic instructions on critical, heroic measures (such as resuscitation and intubation), as well as palliative care preferences and the ability to create a living will from the comfort of their own home.

The Advanced Care Planning module is intuitive with most features requiring only a few taps on the screen. It is easily accessible for all users and demographics, as all working features are grouped into one section on the control panel. "Users can become educated and can take control of the procedures that are important in completing a living will and other aspects of advance care planning," says Dr. Sulieman Furmli (CMO of CareClinic, MD, CCFP). Unlike other online platforms, the app then sends these fields as a comprehensive report to partnering law firms within their own community who specialize in notarizing wills. A fixed guaranteed rate of $350 CAD has already been negotiated on the user's behalf at this time.

IMPORTANCE OF PLANNING AHEAD

A survey from Lawyer's Professional Indemnity Co. (LawPRO) stated that before 2020,  56% of Canadians did not have a living will in place and 88% of these individuals were between the ages of 27-34. The general consensus of younger and middle-aged adults has been that end of life discussions are uncomfortable and unnecessary. According to an Angus Reid Institute poll for 2017, these age groups consider advanced care planning to be:

1. Only for the elderly and/or those with chronic conditions or a life-threatening illness.
2. Not affordable.
3. Too time-consuming.  

With COVID-19 cases increasing by the day and hotspots continuing to emerge throughout the country, all Canadians are becoming increasingly aware of the possibility of health emergencies and unforeseen outcomes where their prognosis is uncertain. The health care system faces the very real potential of being overrun. Canadians should consider how Advanced Care Planning can help our health care systems. "By preparing and storing an ACP that is accessible to both one's immediate family or power of attorney and their health practitioners, front line health workers are able to act more quickly and appropriately, in terms of what heroic measures their patient wishes to undergo in the event that they are unable to communicate this themselves," states Dr. Furmli.

"All Canadians should have an Advanced Care Plan and living will in place, but there are understandable misconceptions that these legal documents are costly and only available or necessary for some of us," says Dr. Furmli.  With the majority of the population intimidated by legal jargon, as well as the delicate conversations that come with making these plans, Dr. Furmli advises Canadians to "make these discussions less taboo and more approachable."

CareClinic intends to use their advanced technology and user-friendly interface to allow these services to be available and accessible to everyone, at a reasonable cost. "Offering peace of mind during these difficult times while also making these necessary options available to all Canadians, is our priority," says Akshay Khanna, (Founder and CEO of CareClinic Inc.).

AWARENESS PROGRAM & PARTNERSHIPS

CareClinic will be providing users with a detailed tutorial video that demonstrates how the app feature works. End of life conversations presented as a patient/doctor interaction will also be released to provide users with:

• Clear and concise information on outlining patient preferences and options for their care.
• Prepare people for the difficult but necessary conversations between their family, loved ones, and clinicians. 

Patient engagement will be essential for the module's growth. CareClinic is in the process of developing partnerships with palliative care clinicians, health organizations, and advocacy groups; "We are looking forward to working collaboratively with these organizations to help advance awareness about these beneficial features and to help get input on how we can make it even more useful, adaptable and accessible for all," says Dr. Furmli.

ABOUT CARECLINIC

We are a team of health and technology experts based out of Toronto, Canada trying to help patients manage their health conditions more proactively. Living busy lives, we quickly learned that people often forget to follow their treatment plan which leads to a lower quality of life, increased burden on caregivers and higher health costs. CareClinic was designed to help you make the right health decisions at the right time. Our app has been used by over 100,000 people and recommended by Doctors everywhere.

CareClinic is the gold standard in medical adherence technology. Our mission is to simplify the way patients measure and care for their health by helping them make smarter health decisions between professional care.

SOURCE CareClinic Inc.