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I'm working on an app for parents of kids with severe allergies and I was hoping I could get some thoughts on the concept.
In an emergency the app lets people alert nearby off-duty EMTs, medical personnel, and other responders who can quickly provide aid. In addition, this builds a network of people with EpiPens who can be alerted if someone nearby is going into anaphylactic shock.
I would love to hear your thoughts whenever you have a free moment.
Thanks in advanced everyone!
-Jim
rebekahc
People should always carry their own epiPens with them but from what I understand there are a fair number of people who frequently forget them and a large number of people who were never prescribed one. I know not all EMTs carry epiPens (especially while off-duty) but a lot of them (especially in rural areas) carry what they call squirrel bags which contain some basic medical tools, including epinephrine. I can't think of anyway to verify that a responder's epiPen has been stored properly but I can do a lot to vet the quality of the responders. If the person was incapacitated and the app gets used I anticipated that it was used by a bystander who may not know how to use an epiPen or does not have one on them. Does that answer your questions? I'd love to hear anymore questions, suggestions, or concerns you come up with if you can think of any? Thanks again!
Hey rebekahc
Most deaths from anaphylaxis (at least according to my research) seem to be from people who were never prescribed an epiPen or who didn't have theirs on them at the time. It feels like a pretty good just-in-case tool to me but of course if people don't want to use it than it doesn't do much good. I'm actually not sure about how the squirrel bags are stored but that is a great point about the heat from the car. I'll ask some of the EMTs how they store their bags. I don't anticipate a bystander to launch the app from someone else's phone, my aim is for the bystander to have it on their own phone to look out for their freinds and family who have allergies. Thanks for taking the time to reply to me, those were some great questions! Did what I say make sense? I'd love to keep this conversation going if you have any more thoughts?
I'm working on an app for parents of kids with severe allergies and I was hoping I could get some thoughts on the concept.
In an emergency the app lets people alert nearby off-duty EMTs, medical personnel, and other responders who can quickly provide aid. In addition, this builds a network of people with EpiPens who can be alerted if someone nearby is going into anaphylactic shock.
I would love to hear your thoughts whenever you have a free moment.
Thanks in advanced everyone!
-Jim
I am not sure how this app could or would work but in the early stages it seems very interesting.
But I also would like to comment about some posts stating that anyone who is serious about their food allergies, self-carries and even knows how to self-administer their Epipen. There are people, like my teen, who are serious about their food allergies, that have delays, special needs or other issues that prevent them from self-carrying and self-administering. They watch what they eat, but can not handle carrying their own meds.
I've talked to some EMTs about how they respond to anaphylaxis and they said the most important part or responding is to get the patient an anti-histamine, such as Benadryl, which doesn’t carry the same liability since it is an over the counter drug. Even if both of those ideas seem too risky though responders can still be protected by preforming first aid, CPR, and using an AED if necessary.
Thanks for the words of wisdom on market research. Unfortunately I don't know of any other way to do market research other than to have the kind of conversations we are having here, which is why I really appreciate all of the open feedback from the community. I'm all ears if you have any pro-tips to share?
Have you spoken with food allergy experts (organizations like FARE, leading allergists)? This is not something where you want to be relying on information from a message board.
What if a baby is given an adult dose of epinephrine? What if people use this who have not been diagnosed by an allergist ... for example, maybe they have a food intolerance, or maybe they have a mental disability?
Unless you get this product backed by an organization like FARE, it does not sit well with me.
The brainchild of young American entrepreneurs Jim Sweet and Joe Friedman, AppiPen will connect those who are not carrying with those that are within a practical radius.