Healthcare Communication Pro

HEALTHCARE COMMUNICATION APP (HCA) enhances communication between patients and caregivers. In medical settings or in the home, HCA gives patients a voice and in multiple languages! Using text-to-speech technology and artfully-drawn picture icons, the patient taps an icon indicating a want or a need and HCA speaks it for them! Grouped into 7 colorful pages of use, HCA is a powerful, modern communication aid!

7 PAGES OF ORGANIZED INFORMATION -each page can be accessed by tapping a page button on the main menu bar or by swiping. Pages include:
1. URGENT PAGE - this red page is the startup page. It features the pain scale and basic icons used in determining where and how bad a patient hurts and what his symptoms are. Very useful for EMTs, first responders, emergency room technicians, clinics, etc.
2. QUESTIONS PAGE - the icons on this green page represent questions any patient might ask about his healthcare.
3.PHYSICAL PAGE - icons featured on a blue background are representations of physical wants and needs like any hospital stay might produce or even daily life issues in rehab units, assisted living facilities and nursing homes. Scroll for more icons.
4. EMOTIONS PAGE - on a calm teal background this page depicts wants and needs of an emotional nature. It can be helpful in easing patient's distress. A 'call this number' icon brings you to a telephone number pad where one enters a number and HCA speaks it.
5.ICU PAGE - Red like the URGENT PAGE, the icons are larger for visual assistance. Icons focus on basic immediate needs with a mixture of appropriate questions.
6. PEDIATRIC PAGE - children are the target of this purple page. Other pages may be applicable to children, however, this page addresses some of their special wants and needs.
7. FOODS PAGE - this brown page highlights common foods, snacks and beverages. (Note: Because foods can be so vastly different from nation to nation, HCA allows for FOODS to be removed from the menu bar. See menu>preferences.

FEATURES
COMMON TERMS BUTTONS - on the second menu bar you'll find 8 buttons of common terms located on each side of the app. They are: yes/no, on/off, up/down, please/thanks. These buttons can be used by themselves or in concert with other icons. (Ex.) blanket - down - please - thanks.
Creative patients will use these for expression. (Ex.) ice cream - yes - yes - yes!
PAIN SCALE - find out where a patient hurts by having him tap a body part on the models. A 'click' and a 'marker' are left on that spot. Tap another spot on the scale of 0-10 to indicate one's level of pain.
TYPE TEXT - TYPE NUMBER - these buttons appear in the middle of the common terms bar on every page. Tap to access where one can type in words, press the speak icon and HCA speaks your phrase or number.
LANGUAGES - HCA's lead version supports only the English and Spanish languages.From menu>preferences a user is able to select the language of the app's text by tapping a supported language. Change the language of the app's voice by tapping the language you want the voice to speak in. It is possible to have the text set for one language and the voice set for another. This will be very useful in multi-lingual settings. (Note: supported languages will be added through updates that will arrive at your tablet for downloading. The order of added languages will be dictated by demand. Voice your opinion by email at: healthcarecommunicationapp@gmail.com).

The information in HCA has been compiled with the help of doctors, nurses, SLP's, OTs and caregivers of all kinds. To keep making improvements in the app, we ask for your contributions at the above email address. We will add the best of them in updates.

Produced by Mike and Joan Green of Greenhouse Publications
Illustrations by Linda Comerford
Programming by Per Liljesater
Graphic Design by Leslie Levine

Copyright 2012 Greenhouse Publications, PO Box 802742, Santa Clarita, CA 91380-2742. All rights reserved.

In loving memory of my father, Sheldon Datz.