LONDON, January 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Clinova is delighted to announce the launch of Caidr®, an innovative digital healthcare app which helps you assess common medical ailments. From ear infections to colds and flu, Caidr® helps you distinguish minor ailments from more serious illnesses, for which referral to a doctor or healthcare practitioner would be needed. The app has been developed in-house by Clinova in consultation with a team of UK-based healthcare professionals.

The Need for Self-Care
- This winter the Royal College of GPs (RCGP) is urging the public to follow the "three before GP" mantra, to avoid unnecessary GP visits^[1]:

1. Check if the problem could be treated through self-care 
2. Seek help from reputable
   online resource 
3. Get assistance from a pharmacist

- A recent survey of 2,000 people showed that nearly half of those questioned wanted more information about common symptoms of self-treatable conditions, and how long they should expect the symptoms to last before feeling better.^[2]

- As there are estimates of 57 million GP appointments and 3.7 million A&E visits each year for self-treatable conditions, it would appear that this lack of information is driving people to seek advice from doctors unnecessarily.

How Caidr® works
Caidr® provides information about medical ailments in the form of a user-friendly smartphone app, by asking users to respond to a series of questions, then producing information and suggestions based on the answers selected.

Caidr's backbone is its cutting-edge, patent-pending software algorithms. These enable the app to provide information on minor ailments, alongside suggestions around self-care and advice on referral to a pharmacist, optician or doctor when necessary.

Matthew Thornes, Pharmacist comments
"Caidr marks a fantastic opportunity for community pharmacy and digital healthcare to meet. As the healthcare market evolves, Caidr offers a great tool for pharmacy to keep up, providing concise minor ailment information and recommendations to ensure the best outcome for patients whilst saving time for their doctors."

Dr Tom Bracewell, Whittington Health VTS, who helped develop the app's medical advice, said
"This fantastic tool could help give thousands of patients the practical medical information and advice they need at their fingertips, including when visiting your GP may be necessary or where your pharmacist may be able to help.

"Pharmacists are the real experts in medicines, and can often better help patients with minor ailments in treating and alleviating their symptoms. Following last week's advice from GP leaders for patients to take three simple steps before booking a GP appointment, Caidr is a great addition to the body of useful and accessible tools and advice out there to help." 

Caidr Key Benefits 

- Information about common ailments at users' fingertips
- Easier access to healthcare advice and information
- Smart access to information
- User convenience

The Caidr® App is available from App Store and Google Play to download free of charge.
Further information on Caidr® can be found at http://www.caidr.co.uk

[1]http://www.rcgp.org.uk/news/2017/december/3-before-gp-new-rcgp-mantra-to-help-combat-winter-pressures-in-general-practice.aspx
[2] Self -Care Week survey - November 2017

For further information please contact:
liz@clinova.co.uk
+44-07595-567817

SOURCE Caidr