Design of a mobile application for the interpretation of arterial and venous gases

Diseño de una aplicación móvil para la interpretación de gases arterio-venosos.

Objective: to design and establish the utility of a mobile application for the analysis of arterial-venous gases in a population of students and professionals of respiratory care. Materials and methods: initially, the "TERAPP" application was designed based on the joint work of health and engineering professionals; subsequently the application was reviewed by experts in the field who issued their concept in this regard. After the review, a pilot test was conducted in a population of professionals and students, in which gasometrical interpretations and the time spent with and without the application were evaluated through a before and after design. Additionally, a questionnaire of 8 questions was provided to determine the perception of the application. Results: a total of 57 subjects integrated the sample, when evaluating the gasometrical interpretations with and without the application it was found that when it was not used, 26% did not adequately identify the acid-base disorder and 93% did not calculate adequately the variables related to the transport, diffusion and extraction of oxygen. When using the application, the total of the tests was interpreted correctly. With respect to the time used for the gasometrical analysis, an average difference of 9.2 minutes P: <0.001 was found when the mobile application was used. Conclusions: TERAPP contributes to the identification of acid-base alterations and the calculation of transport, diffusion and extraction of oxygen; it also decreases the time used for the gasometrical interpretation.