MedConcerns

The Guided Communication: Medical Concerns app bridges the communication gap
between healthcare providers and patients. It combines evidence-based aphasia
communication techniques with comprehensive medical assessment questions. These
questions address common and complex medical issues.
This easy to use app helps the healthcare provider complete a medical assessment quickly
and with more detailed insight into the patient’s concerns.
Built with aphasia friendly tools
Pictures are combined with written and spoken words.
Choices represent common symptoms, severity levels, onset, and exacerbating
factors
Selections are followed by expanded options for a detailed assessment
Confirmation pages are used to verify understanding
Yes/No board is always available
Whiteboard is available for added clarification
Whiteboard can also be used to type, add emojis or app images, or draw
The user can zoom in to more clearly view images
Personalize the app by selecting number of icons per page, gender, and language
“Aphasia-friendly” education pages in English and Spanish
The Guided Communication: Medical Concerns app is the only app* that combines
comprehensive assessment of medical concerns with guided use of evidence-based
aphasia techniques. There are other apps available that support communication with people
with aphasia, but no other app is specifically designed to help the healthcare provider or
caregiver use techniques that speech-language pathologists and communication partners
are trained to use.
The Medical Concerns app includes a wide range of common and complex concerns for a
comprehensive assessment. No training is required to use the Guided Communication:
Medical Concerns app.
The Medical Concerns app was designed for medical professionals and healthcare
providers for use with people with aphasia resulting from a stroke or brain injury. It can also
be used to help others support communication of medical concerns, including:
Caregivers
Friends
Teachers
Family
The app can also help people that don’t have aphasia but do experience difficulty
communicating their medical concerns, including:
Hearing Loss
Cognitive-Communication Impairments
Apraxia/Dysarthria/Motor Speech
Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC) users
Artificial Airway/Tracheostomy/Ventilator Dependency
Bilingual/Multicultural Populations
Traumatic brain injury
At Communication Rescue Services, our mission is to empower patients to regain their
voice and autonomy by supporting their communication needs.
The Patient’s Bill of Rights requires that patients both understand and are involved with their
care. Clear communication on both sides is essential – an obvious challenge with
communication disorders. Guided Communication: Medical Concerns app enables
providers to uphold patient rights in these difficult situations.
Quotes from our beta testers:
"The app was helpful in facilitating communication"
"With the app, it takes less time to confirm how they're feeling, and they appear less
stressed, feel like they have support to communicate"
"As a healthcare provider without aphasia training, I used to leave the room questioning
how much I missed. It seemed like there was nothing to say. Now I feel like I'm actually
communicating with the patient. I find the interaction was much more satisfying and I feel
like I can better help the patient."
"I like the icons. The app has a clean interface and is easy to use"
"I felt like the app let me finally give the patients the opportunity to express themselves
again. They feel heard, and I feel the relief and joy at being able to support them. I always
used communication strategies, but I needed so many materials and had to come up with
possible choices off the top of my head. Knowing this app was created by both a SLP and a
doctor made me feel more confident about the choices presented, and doing all of this
without so many materials made finding out what's wrong much more efficient."
*As per extensive app review Oct 10, 2022