Ask HN: Prescription Scanner & Medication Tracker App | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Prescription Scanner & Medication Tracker App

1 pointayushpawar2 comments

I'm working on a concept for an app that could streamline and simplify how people manage their medications. The idea is simple: users can scan handwritten doctor prescriptions, and the app will automatically identify the medicines, show their use cases, side effects, and dosage instructions. Additionally, users can add medications to a tracker that reminds them about doses and helps monitor their treatment progress.

Key Features:

Prescription Scanning: Uses OCR technology to scan paper prescriptions and convert them into digital text. Medicine Identification: Automatically provides information about the prescribed medicines, including use cases and potential side effects. Interaction Warnings: Alerts users of any potential drug interactions with existing medications. Dosage Tracking: Users can set up reminders and track their medication intake over time. Health Insights: Monitor treatment effectiveness through reports and analytics based on user input. Problem Solved: Many people struggle with reading handwritten prescriptions and keeping track of medications, which can lead to errors in dosage or drug interactions. This app ensures users stay informed about their prescriptions and medication routines, minimizing confusion and risk.

Two things come to mind:

First, I'd make sure you are very familiar with the requirements for medical- and drug-adjacent apps in iOS. These rules are enforced haphazardly so be prepared to have to justify your app upon submission or updating.

Second, hand-written prescriptions are not much longer for this world so I'd consider the OCR part just a hook to get started and some initial traction - but you'll definitely need to find something sustainable.

> 1.4.2 Drug dosage calculators must come from the drug manufacturer, a hospital, university, health insurance company, pharmacy or other approved entity, or receive approval by the FDA or one of its international counterparts. Given the potential harm to patients, we need to be sure that the app will be supported and updated over the long term.

> 5.1.3 (i) Apps may not use or disclose to third parties data gathered in the health, fitness, and medical research context—including from the Clinical Health Records API, HealthKit API, Motion and Fitness, MovementDisorder APIs, or health-related human subject research—for advertising, marketing, or other use-based data mining purposes other than improving health management, or for the purpose of health research, and then only with permission. Apps may, however, use a user’s health or fitness data to provide a benefit directly to that user (such as a reduced insurance premium), provided that the app is submitted by the entity providing the benefit, and the data is not shared with a third party. You must disclose the specific health data that you are collecting from the device.

https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/

Thanks for the prompt feedback. Even i was thinking the scanning feature to be just one of the features. The main goal is to let users track their medicines intake and then refill it seamlessly by integrating my app with local pharmacists or hospitals.

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