The future of medical communication was revealed today – Bleepa^TM is a clinical grade messaging app that enables clinical teams to securely review medical images and make clinical management decisions using portable devices such as smartphones or tablets.

Bleepa, developed by Cambridge-based medical imaging technology company, Feedback Medical Ltd, enables doctors and clinical staff to instantly access and give advice on medical cases, including the review of medical images, within a secure system.

Currently staff can only access images on computer screens and give clinical advice by phone. Frustrated by delays, it has been reported that many doctors now routinely use social media messaging apps such as WhatsApp to communicate about patients, including taking photographs of computer screens in order to share patient images.* Aside from patient data risks, these images can be pixelated and are not suitable for clinical decision making. The use of social media platforms, such as WhatsApp, expose both hospitals and the individual users to litigation risk under GDPR.

Bleepa addresses wide-reaching concerns about the use of WhatsApp across the NHS, whilst recognising the inherent advantages to patient care and clinical decision making presented by instant messaging systems.

Dr Tom Oakley, CEO for Feedback Medical, said, “Frontline medical staff want to provide the very best care for patients, but are often frustrated by the failure of technology to keep pace with the demands of a fast-paced modern hospital environment. This is a message we have heard loud and clear. Bleepa is our response, a powerful tool to unlock instant access to medical images and allow rapid, effective clinical decision making.”

The new product is currently in the final stages of development. It will be available to view and pre-order at NHS England Health and Care Innovation Expo at Manchester Central, 4^th and 5^th September 2019. Please see www.bleepa.com for further updates.

* O’Sullivan DM, O’Sullivan E, O’Connor M, et al WhatsApp Doc?  BMJ Innovations  2017;3:238-239

See the full press release here: Bleepa News Release