TITLE: An AI psychologist
A Deep Learning web app that will aid Agencies, Hospitals and Organizations in tracking and monitoring the symptoms and health status of existing and new Covid 19 patients to help classify high degree and low degree cases, offering help and educative measures at a convenience to patients. This web app will also offer psychological help to aid patients in dealing with paranoia, anxiety and other conditions as a result of Covid 19.
We have been inspired by the collective efforts of companies of different backgrounds working together to help governments and health agencies tackle COVID-19 by utilising the growing influence and convenience of technology. We have also drawn inspiration from many existing mental health apps in the market as they prove to be a valuable resource since the past few years in conjunction with increasing mental health awareness. We have taken into account the adverse mental consequences that might have been exacerbated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and we have assimilated some of the features of these novel and existing resources to develop an app which will predominantly focus on the mental well-being of different target groups.
Varkrona's usage would refer it as a comprehensive online resource tool dedicated to COVID-19 screening, offering psychological support and engagement to those in need and tracking the spread of the disease. By answering a list of questions including symptoms, risk factors and exposure, screened patients will then be given a directive about when to seek testing or emergency care.The mental toll COVID-19 is taking on the public and front-liners is addressed, and the app will provide access to support and engagement for those in need, with specific focus in depression, anxiety and stress. The app consists of a self-directed questionnaire which can help determine if the user should speak with a mental health professional. Varkrona, as an app will then match the user to a therapist for their specific needs.Users can also alleviate their doubts and worries by accessing curated content centered on stress management, staying active and eating and sleeping well, including webinars, blog posts and links about staying healthy and means to help users deal with the pandemic. The app also tracks the current spread of COVID-19 in Malaysia by releasing a live dashboard from the MOH, WHO and CDC to track the virus in real time and includes information about cases by region and country, as well as the deaths. The information is displayed in a map and in corresponding charts.
Name: Yeo Yee Wen⋅⋅ Github: SoyaBean123456
Name: Tan Lik Wei Github: likweitan
Name: Kelwin Tan Seen Tiong Github: kelwin1412
Name: Fatima Gachi Ahmed Github: fatimagachi
Name: Prishalini Ramesh Github: prisharamesh
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A study done by a team of specialists on cognitive neuroscience and psychology to survey the general public in China to understand their their levels of psychological impact during the COVID-19 outbreak. Among 1210 respondents, 53.8% of rated the psychological impact of the outbreak as moderate or severe where, 16.5% reported depressive symptoms; 28.8% reported anxiety symptoms; and 8.1% reported moderate to severe stress levels. The journal also reported that one of the factors associated with these adverse mental outcomes was social isolation due to quarantine. (Wang, C et al., Immediate Psychological Responses and Associated Factors during the Initial Stage of the 2019 Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Epidemic among the General Population in China. 2020). Another journal has also suggested that misinformation may adversely effect mental health by causing confusion among the general public, hence causing panic and distress (Samia et al., Impact of rumors or misinformation on coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in social media. 2020). The CDC has also identified a group of individuals who may respond more strongly to the stress of this crisis, including older people, those with underlying medical comorbidities, childrens and adoloscents, front-liners and those with preexisting mental conditions.
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A study to assess the magnitude of mental health outcomes among healthcare workers treating patients with Covid-19 showed that among 1257 respondents consisting of doctors, nurses and emergency responders, 50.4% of them reported depressive symptoms, 44.6% reported anxiety symptoms and 71.5% reported distress, with nurses and frontline workers being those with most severe symptoms. (Jianbo Lai et al., Factors Associated with Mental Health Outcomes Among Health Care Workers Exposed to Coronavirus Disease 2019, 2020).
- Misconception of Coronavirus (COVID-19) and general lack of understanding
- Sharing of fake or unofficial news
- Lack of analytical ability in understanding cases numbers
- Insufficient medical advices
- Lack of protection of healthcare personnel
- Offer psychological support and engagement to those in need, including the general population and healthcare personnel, with a focuson depression, anxiety and stress.
- Curate content with verified information from credible sources to empower the general population and alleviate confusion and anxiety by means of self-education
- Releasing a live dashboard and COVID-19 registry to help healthcare agencies manage the way they engage with overwhelming patient population.
- Provide tailored psychotherapy consultations
- Provide a platform for patient-doctor interaction
- Increase efficiency of clinician in diagnosis and containment of COVid19
- Educate patients in the real-effect of virus
We have built an app that will cater for both clinicians and patients alike. The app will be oriented for clinicians by helping them in the assessment, diagnosis and management of the patient, and supporting education and accessibility of care for patients. To do so, we have analysed research papers from credible resources like WHO, CDC and MOH. We have also studied the essential features in existing mental health apps and how they are used to tailor self-care for a different group of audiences.
| Name | Link |
|---|---|
| Tableau | https://www.tableau.com |
| Firebase | https://firebase.google.com/ |
| Nodejs | https://nodejs.org |
| Dialogflow | https://dialogflow.com/ |
| GoogleCloudPlatform | https://cloud.google.com/solutions/contact-center/covid19-rapid-response |
| Tensorflow | https://js.tensorflow.org/api/latest/ |
| Dribbble | https://dribbble.com/ |
| PHP | https://www.php.net/ |
| Bootstrap | https://getbootstrap.com/ |
| Flaticon | https://www.flaticon.com/ |
| Material UI | https://material-ui.com/ |
| FaceAPI | https://overflowjs.com/posts/Face-Detection-Using-JavaScript-API-face-apijs.html |
- Enable social media posting & text usage for user and medics to communicate directly via the platform.
- Basic ICT Infrastructure as future building blocks on mental health platform.
- Incorporation into hospital information systems.
- Information gathering and reference.
The challenges faced in the development of a mental health app is the reduced patient-doctor interaction. The personal touch and assurance which will usually be obtained by direct interaction will be compromised in our app although it is a crucial aspect in the diagnosis and management of mental health. We also faced some usability issues, whereby the accessibility of the app may be limited by poor internet access, availability of an android phone, and the user’s own knowledge and confidence of using technology, such as rural areas, and the older target audience.
During the development of this app, we have learnt that there are many psychological components which will benefit the user, with each modality being unique, such as cognitive-behavioural interventions, acceptance commitment therapies, self-administered questionnaires, mood training and so on. With the understanding of these different psychotherapy approaches, we can provide a more tailored experience for the user. We have also learnt the importance of maintaining patient’s confidentiality and how it may be compromised by the use of technology, hence, we have studied various regulatory guidelines that has been taken into account during the app development to ensure maximum privacy of the app and directly upholding the patient’s confidentiality.
