WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA – Remember when Web 2.0 was the new buzzword? It turned the information sharing world on its ear with social networking and video sharing sites, blogs and a whole host of Web applications.

Perhaps the most endearing aspect of Web 2.0 has been the ability to interact with other users and create content from anywhere a person can access the Internet- not just their home or office.

Web 2.0 is shaping business solutions in many fields today, including physical therapy audits, said Dr. Jay Winburn, president of Prognition Corp., a company that has developed technologies that enable knowledge and information to be appropriately stored and easily recalled.

The company introduced Mavenlive in March 2009 as a Web-based tool to streamline physical therapy assessment, documentation and exercise prescription processes for physical therapy practices.

To appreciate the significance of Web-based solutions for physical therapists, it is important to understand the alternative, Winburn said. Knowledge stored via software on a particular computer is limited, for the most part, to that computer. If a program or a modified exercise is on one computer, that program or modification isn’t available on another.

“You can have your own office network to get around some of those problems, but if you want to work on a patient’s chart from home, you don’t have that advantage,” he said. “Web-based applications means those charts are accessible anywhere, any time.”

Many physical therapy clinics using desktop applications for documentation and prescription of rehabilitation exercises pay a premium for their own server.
“This is expensive because once you put patient data on it, you just can’t afford to lose it,” Winburn said.

Going this route requires a “Redundant Array of Independent Drivers” computer, which means a high capital expense. For a small clinic without IT support, this hardware becomes oppressive because maintaining it is costly and a certain level of expertise is required that the average clinician simply doesn’t have.

Essentially, the idea of a clinic having its own in-office network that is up to the task of storing patient data sounds easy, but is difficult to achieve.

“If you go to a Web 2.0 application, you literally can access it with the cheapest computer there is because all you’re doing is accessing the Web,” Winburn said. “Because it’s available anywhere, anytime, it becomes easy to access, enter and share knowledge and you’ve just eliminated most of the headache of having a computer system.”

The benefits of Web-based rehabilitation software don’t end there. Going with this option eliminates installation processes and the need for hard drive space, said Vinny Lingham, a speaker and search engine expert who founded Yola, a browser-based software development company.

Updates can be made seamlessly with Web-based software because they are applied to the server, rather than to each individual user. The next time the user logs into the system, they see the latest updates, Lingham said.
Web-based software also is safer, according to 37signals, a Web-based software developer whose clients include Kellogg’s and Mayo Clinic.

Traditional software requires information to be saved onto USB drives, portable hard drives and laptops. However, users don’t always back up their computers properly. Laptops can be stolen; USB drives lost.

Using Web-based software means the data is securely stored and backed up daily.
Compatibility often is an issue when it comes to software. Most Web-based software these days functions on any platform with an Internet connection and a Web browser, according to 37signals.

Customization also is among the benefits of many Web-based applications, Winburn said. Changes often can easily be made upon request, as opposed to discovering a shortcoming in desktop software and waiting for the vendor to make an improvement, should there be enough users who detect the same shortcoming and it is deemed worthy of correcting.

Good Web-based software should make it easier for physical therapists to tackle documentation, which can be one of the most time-consuming aspects of their jobs, Winburn said. Entering information with some Web-based solutions is as simple as pointing and clicking.

Lingham sited these additional benefits to Web-based software:
1- Low-cost maintenance and support
2- No viruses
3- Compatible with mobile devices
4- Less expensive because they are easier to produce. No packaging, shipping costs and printed manuals means they are cheaper to produce and can be sold for less that desktop software.

About Maven Live and Prognition Corp.
Maven Live was created in March 2009 by Prognition Corp., an exercise prescription software company headquartered in Canada’s National Research Council’s Biomedical Commercialization Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Maven Live is a complete clinical solution that presents “best practice” patient assessments and exercise prescription to ensure consistence within physiotherapy offices. This physical therapy software automatically generates customizable documentation, reports, and letters to referring doctors, improves patient outcomes, automates processes and documentation and saves time.

Because it is Web-based, users can access the software anywhere they have an Internet connection.
Prognition Corp. is a software company that develops computer solutions for knowledge management. The company’s name stands for “programmed cognition.”

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Author Bio: If you would like to learn about physical therapy software company Mavenlive, or you are interested in purchasing the rehab software or physical therapy point and click assessment software, call (866) 996-2836.

Category: Business
Keywords: Physical therapy audits, physical therapy assessment, exercise prescription, rehabilitation software