In a world first, doctors developed a simple web based app that quickly identifies patients with hereditary haemochromatosis (HH) and refers them directly to the Red Cross blood service for therapeutic blood donation.
Under the old paper based system, patients often have to wait up to three months for paperwork to be completed, delaying much needed treatment and potentially putting them at risk of organ damage.
Patients with high iron levels caused by another illness were also at risk of being incorrectly referred to the Blood Service, wasting valuable time and resources.
But the beauty of app was in the clinical algorithm behind it that filtered these patients out, said iron expert and gastroenterologist Professor John Olynyk.
"Patients that don't have HH don't get referred and have their time wasted for a treatment that doesn't benefit them," Professor Olynyk told Rheumatology Update.
The Professor from Freemantle Hospital hopes that eventually the website can be incorporated into GP medical prescribing software.
The system could also be applied to other areas that require specific information and timely management such as referrals for colonoscopy or endoscopy clinics, he added.
The app is endorsed by the Gastroenterology Society of Australia and the Haematology Society of Australia and New Zealand and can be accessed at www.highferritin.transfusion.com.au
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