Paediatricians at the Royal United Hospital in Bath are urging parents to download an app which gives parents and carers more confidence in dealing with minor conditions at home.
RUH Paediatric Specialty Doctors Gemma Gough and Luai Mare
HANDi app, which is free and can be downloaded to any Apple or Android smartphone or tablet, provides expert medical advice about the most common childhood conditions.
Dr Luai Mare, Paediatric Specialty Doctor at the RUH in Bath said: “The HANDi app was developed at Musgrove Park and has been adapted by paediatric consultants at the RUH so that anyone who looks after children – parent, carers, grandparents, teachers and childminders – can get instant support when faced with one of the six most common childhood illnesses.
“We know that many parents don’t want to bring their children to A&E unless they really need to, but they often end up here because they aren’t sure where else they should go.
“The information on the app is the same that you would receive from a healthcare professional here at the RUH.”
The common childhood illnesses included on HANDi app are:
- Diarrhoea
- Vomiting
- High temperature
- Chestiness
- Newborn problems
- Stomach pain
Paediatric specialty doctor Gemma Gough said that HANDi app is really simple to use: “It guides you through a series of questions about the child’s symptoms and advises on the best course of action – it will tell you if the problem is something you can treat at home or if you need to make an appointment with your GP, and if it’s urgent, HANDi app will tell you to go straight to a Minor Injury Unit or A&E.
“I would encourage anyone with young children to download the app. You never know when you might need it.”
You can download the app for free from iTunes: http://bit.ly/HANDiiTunes and Google Play: http://bit.ly/HANDiGoogle.
