Bridging medical expertise in crisis: The development and implementation of a novel mobile application for Ukrainian physicians during wartime.

Abstract

Background: The full-scale invasion disrupted health care in Ukraine, leading to the displacement of physicians and affecting their access to subspecialist consultations. HealUA, a mobile application, was designed to provide secure and timely remote physician-to-physician consultations. We aimed to assess the implementation of the HealUA mobile application for peer-to-peer physician consultations in Ukraine during the Russian invasion.

Methods: HealUA was developed in May 2022. Security measures included user verification, privacy policies, and legal disclaimers. The application allowed physicians to submit cases and receive remote consultations from physicians in Ukraine and worldwide. We assessed the implementation of the HealUA application using Proctor's implementation outcomes framework, specifically adoption and feasibility. Adoption was measured by user downloads, characteristics of registered physicians, and case submissions. Feasibility was evaluated through clinical case response times, translation services, and technical issues.

Results: From May 2022 to May 2024, 3861 physicians registered. The majority were from Ukraine (95%). Of 474 submitted cases, 97.3% received timely responses from other physicians. The application demonstrated prompt response times (84.6% within the first day), successful translation services, and effective resolution of technical issues.

Conclusions: The HealUA application achieved broad adoption across medical specialties, fostering robust clinical information exchange during the ongoing conflict. Security standards were upheld and routine technical issues were satisfactorily addressed. Future efforts will focus on broader dissemination and assessing additional implementation outcomes.