How is Andaman7 different from other health networks?

In the text below, we use the term "health network" to be more general.

Health networks (like other hospital-based initiatives) and Andaman7 are, in our view, complementary.

At Andaman7, we think that such initiatives from hospitals, groups of hospitals or regional or national governments are very good ideas that move things in the right direction. But they are not enough.

Firstly, there are "political and ethical" reasons, summed up very well by a doctor who has worked to bring medicine closer to patients and who explains why patient initiatives are essential: https://bit.ly/A7-dHCN.

There are also a number of differences of a more practical nature. Here are just a few of them.

Access to health networks is very often only via the internet (web application), whereas Andaman7 has its own mobile application with a COPY of the data stored on the phone. This means that patients can access their records even without an internet connection. This can be very important when medical information is needed but there is no internet connection. Paradoxically, this is often the case in hospitals! It's also often the case, for example, when you have a medical problem abroad.

Using the application, patients can manually ENCODE any other data they wish, whereas health networks only allow patients to view their data and do not allow them to encode the additional medical information they require.

The types of data supported on Andaman7 are also much broader: almost ALL health data is supported (which is much broader than 'medical' data: sleep data, physical activity data, nutrition data, etc.). The data on a health network is generally limited to documents, sometimes with some information on allergies, prescriptions, etc.

With Andaman7, patients get a COPY of their data and it is stored on the smartphone. If for any reason the health network cuts off access, the data remains available in Andaman7.

If the patient is or has been treated in several places (including abroad), he or she needs to connect to each health network and memorise the passwords for each one. They also need to understand the different ways in which each works. With Andaman7, all the data is in the same place, in the same unified format, with a single user interface. Andaman7 is also available in over 20 languages: useful for showing a foreign doctor your medical record partially translated into his language.

With Andaman7, it's very easy to share your medical record securely with your doctor or even a spouse, family member, etc. This is rarely the case with health networks.

Andaman7 also offers many features that are not available in health networks: reminders to take your medication, participation in medical research (optional), integration with third-party services (online appointment booking, online drug purchasing, home care services, etc.).

In short, where a health network provides access to some medical information, Andaman7 is a comprehensive tool for managing your health in a broad, collaborative way, with your circle of trust.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or comments.