IRON MOM
Drs. Michelle Sholzberg, Lisa Hicks, Andrea Lausman, St. Michael’s Hospital, and Unity Health (Toronto)
Drs. Michelle Sholzberg, Lisa Hicks, and Andrea Lausman with St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health (Toronto) noticed an alarming trend of women with severe anemia well into their pregnancies. The condition can cause premature delivery, low birth weight, childhood anemia, postpartum depression and even death. The doctors sought a solution to this manageable problem, and IRON MOM was born.
Initial Timeline
6 months
Engagement
Fixed Fee
Services
Custom Web App Development
Mobile App Development
Technology
Ionic
Javascript
WordPress
The Challenge.
IRON MOM originated as a paper-based toolkit in OB/GYN clinics for anemia diagnosis and treatment. Drs. Sholzberg, Hicks, and Lausman were ready to transition their IRON MOM toolkit to a two-prong digital tool: a website for physician education and a custom mobile app for patient iron health education and management.
Our Strategy.
Troon brought their vast knowledge of healthcare software and custom mobile app development to get IRON MOM into the hands of users. Using the Ionic framework, Troon built an MVP hybrid app that enabled IRON MOM to launch as a custom mobile application for both iOS and Android. The app focused on iron deficiency symptoms, causes, when to check iron levels in pregnancy, how to interpret the data, recipes, cooking techniques and other interventions if iron levels were low. To capture aggregate patient data, key metrics were captured through careful integration of Firebase. Troon also developed a custom website with recommended treatment pathways to support physicians and OB/GYNs with streamlined UI/UX.
Final Design.
We’ve heard overwhelmingly positive reactions from everyone we’ve shown this to. It’s kind of a no brainer – everybody gets it. We’re no talking about a complicated brain surgery – it’s a very simple solution which is why we’re confident this will start to positively impact women and change the way we look at anemia in pregnancy and beyond.
Dr. Sholzberg
Conclusion
Unity Health Hospitals across Canada adopted the IRON MOM app. Within a year of its release, the doctors witnessed a tenfold increase in the average number of monthly iron-level tests done in obstetric clinics at St. Michael’s, and a sizable decrease in the risk of anemia.
