stephenlchen

Thank you for your comments. We agree that in the situation you described it is likely that woman would get treated with empiric antibiotics regardless of what her test results show since false negatives are still possible. This is why the telehealth visit always combines test results with additional information from the patient. From our experience, not every person presents with all of the classic UTI symptoms. Having the positive leukocyte/nitrite results provide the telehealth clinicians the confidence they need to treat these patients. For patients with negative results, it provides another data point to recommend in-person evaluation. We also recognize the challenge of obtaining a midstream sample, which is why we have spent a lot of time and effort (including user interviews and focus groups) to create simple to follow instructions in our app.

We would love to chat further about any additional concerns you may have. Feel free to contact us at clinical@scanwellhealth.com. Thanks for taking the time to review our product and leaving your comments!

Thank you for your comment. You bring up a good point and we would like to clarify that we do not rely solely on the test results when determining the best course of action. We combine the results of our urine test with the patient’s symptoms and other pertinent information (past medical history, medications, allergies, etc) for the virtual clinician. If there are any concerns about treating the patient using telehealth, the patient will be referred to see someone in person for further evaluation. We will need time to review the different articles you provided, but based on your reading is there a better recommended approach to diagnosing and treating UTIs?

Working on it! The test kits will be available in a major nationwide retailer come Q2 2020, so stay tuned!

This is a question we get a lot! The short answer is yes; men can use Scanwell as a screening tool, to identify a UTI.

However, men aren't able to get treatment through our telehealth partner. This is due to clinical guidelines––when a man presents with a UTI, additional testing is typically required, so in those cases we'd recommend in-person treatment.

Great question! While empiric treatment for most patients presenting with acute uncomplicated UTIs is appropriate, recent studies (happy to share these) have shown that 30-50% of the time these patients are being overtreated. Our test result + patient’s symptoms increases the diagnostic accuracy significantly and can help reduce the misuse of antibiotics. With the growing threat of antibiotic resistance, we believe having a cheap and accessible screening test like ours can make a big difference in the care of this common problem.

Can you elaborate on what you mean? We don't store images on the phone, so it wouldn't be possible for other apps to access images of the strip.

I guess I should clarify, the 2hr wait time is guaranteed by our telehealth partner Lemonaid (aka the provider we connect them to for treatment). Because it's a Lemonaid policy and not our own, we don't call it out on our site. But, we probably should find a way to communicate it!

There have been a few times when we've had customers reach out, and say that they're experiencing symptoms and that they want to order the test. Currently we sell the strips direct-to-consumer on our site, and our fastest shipping option is next business day. So in the event that the customer is experiencing symptoms, and doesn't have a test on-hand, we'll recommend they get in-person treatment.

However, we've just partnered with a major nationwide retailer to to make getting the test easier/faster, and are looking into same-day delivery options for e-commerce.

Additionally, we've seen a good number of customers buying the test preemptively.

I think the main reason someone would use Scanwell over an AZO test strip would be two-fold:

1. No guessing when reading the strip. Knowing the technology is FDA-cleared, and considering that the phone relays the result, lends more confidence to the end result.

2. Connecting to a provider/treatment––and here's why: in 2013, less than half of US adults reported being able to get a same or next-day appointment with their PCP, and over 60% said their only option was going to the emergency room.

Even with an AZO result in hand, the patient will still need to coordinate getting treatment. Scanwell gives them the option of getting treatment for a consultation fee of $25, and a guaranteed wait time of 2hr during business hours (which includes weekends).

Wow! The kit being used on fire engines/ambulances isn't a use case we often think about, but your story certainly makes a great argument!

Also though, I'm surprised to learn that the care home didn't have access to/use a dipstick...

Thank you, for your kind words and encouragement!

We feel this technology can be extended to many other tests––another test we are currently working on addresses/monitors CKD (chronic kidney disease).

Currently, the CKD test is being used in a clinical trial in partnership with Kaiser Permanente (more on that here: https://www.scanwellhealth.com/chronic-kidney-disease-study.

Thanks for your questions!

We feel strongly that quantitative testing is possible, and is something we're currently exploring.

As far as measures to prevent the patient from scanning too soon––the testing flow within the app includes a timer, during which the test would be processing. Only after the timer is finished does the camera open, enabling the user to scan.

In terms of addressing/identifying red flags like recurrent UTIs, advanced infections, etc.: after the user receives their test result from Scanwell, they have the option to receive treatment via telehealth from our partner (Lemonaid Health). Lemonaid collects additional patient info including symptoms, past infections, etc. In some cases (i.e. pregnancy, postmenopause, signs of an advanced infection) treatment via telehealth won't be possible, and the patient will be recommended to seek in-person treatment.

Thanks for your question! Each test kit includes a color card which calibrates the camera for different lighting environments, phone models, etc. Currently, our test supports devices running iOS 9 or Android 9 and newer.

In regards to detecting chronic issues; our test currently detects leukocytes and nitrites. In addition to these two indicators, the treating telehealth provider will collect typical patient info (symptoms, medical history, allergies, etc.), and then determine appropriate treatment. For patients with asymptomatic bacteriuria, treatment with antibiotics isn't recommended per clinical guidelines.

Thank you for sharing––we've gotten a handful of inquiries from parents asking if they can use the UTI test kit to identify UTI in babies/children. Anyone is able to test with Scanwell, but we can only direct those over 18 to treatment via telehealth. Nonetheless, we see Scanwell being a useful tool for parents in similar situations to yours––simply knowing, before heading to the emergency room, can bring peace of mind to new parents and parents of younger children.