Patient-Centric Solution Addresses Healthcare Complications

Q: What need does Cicluz address and how does it do it?

A: Cicluz was created with the idea of generating a patient-centric care model. Our first target was diabetes, focusing on the physical, mental and emotional crisis created by this disease. Cicluz is intended as a response that can help approach, prevent and control the situation in an integral way. We started by linking three key aspects surrounding diabetes: the medical-scientific, the sociocultural and the empirical. In addition to the doctor, we involve diabetes educators, nurses, sociologists, anthropologists and psychologists to uncover narratives that allow us to understand the decision-making process of the specific person living with diabetes so we can come up with a proposal for care. The most important part in this process is the empirical element in which we focus on the diabetic person. If you ask the right questions of a person, they will give you the right answers regarding how they could best control their situation. Cicluz has two apps, with one more in development. Our first two apps are focused on general healthcare. We are developing the third app, which is focused solely on diabetes, with the UNAM School of Health Sciences.

Apart from our apps, we host a colloquium on diabetes, but this year’s fourth edition will expand to a three-day health forum. We also offer educational programs on diabetes in coordination with the Metropolitan Autonomous University of Iztapalapa and Universidad Latino Americana del Valle. Along with the federal government, we have a national strategy for training and public policy regarding people with disabilities. This initiative examines the link between a disability and diabetes. For example, diabetes is the main cause of visual disability or amputation.

We work collectively, including patients, every time we want to implement something new at Cicluz. This ensures that the approach is multidisciplinary. We do this when creating a forum or any new service we want to include in our apps.

Q: Cicluz’s app was created for doctors and patients. How does the app work for both parties?

A: We have a medical directory with preventive healthcare information, providing users with an all-in-one service, whether they need a doctor, information on a disease or illness or proper care and preventive measures. We nurture this app through social media like private groups on Facebook. However, we manage it privately because we need people to feel they are in an environment of trust. A healthcare app can deal with delicate information that not everyone feels comfortable sharing publicly.

Our second app is Cicluz Comunidad, which we use for our events only. We use it to share information about the events, the speakers, place and times, but it can also be used to interact, ask questions to the speakers, share pictures and learn about the sponsors. This app is also the event’s platform for registration.

The app under development is a predictive model of risk analysis for diabetes. This one has taken more scientific work and algorithms, which is why we are creating it alongside the UNAM School of Health Sciences.

Q: How does Cicluz contribute to the culture of preventive medicine?

A: I think we have to base our work on listening to people instead of arbitrarily trying to teach them what they have to do. Patients know best how to control their health and what treatments will work for them. We simply need to ask them the right questions. According to the information gathered from the patient, the doctor can prescribe a treatment based on their needs, beliefs, limits or habits. To create a culture of prevention, first we need to listen to the patient to create an appropriate action plan.

What we have learned with Cicluz is how multiple disciplines can work together to teach people precisely how to listen to their body at all times, instead of letting themselves get to a dangerous state of health. The different points of view of our professionals have taught us to approach health in ways that work better than corrective health, which can be damaging and higher in cost if we let an issue advance to the point where we can no longer tolerate it.

Q: What important alliances would help Cicluz to grow?

A: Our most important alliances are with universities and research centers, which have provided our work with scientific support. Alliances with civil societies like PAHO, ANAFARMEX, RMPUS or AMID are also important because they allow us to expand. We would like to participate in their events to spread the word regarding our work and if they wanted to join, they would be welcome to do so.

Cicluz also has an alliance with MedicalManik regarding their electronic clinical record, which we use to maintain our data. This is a win-win alliance as MedicalManik’s main target are doctors and we invite them to our events.

We also think that laboratories could benefit from Cicluz as part of their strategy when approaching their targets, since we offer educational programs and forums that raise awareness about healthcare and create initiatives alongside patients.

Cicluz is an app created to collaborate, support and share experiences of self-care, health and well-being. Its goal is to work as a digital community that grows and develops alongside the health sector.