New 'Osler Outpatient' mobile app will help patients take charge from hospital to home

BRAMPTON, Ontario, May 21, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Imagine taking charge of your health after your hospital stay, right from the palm of your hands.

William Osler Health System (Osler) is launching a new Android app, "Osler Outpatient," that will transform the post-discharge patient experience for the thousands of people who are treated at Brampton Civic Hospital and Etobicoke General Hospital each year.

As one of Canada's largest community hospitals with one of the busiest emergency departments in the country, Osler hopes that empowering patients through this app may help reduce unnecessary hospital readmissions by helping patients better understand and manage their care plan after they leave the hospital.

A team of students from the University of Toronto developed the app after they won Osler's national student app contest – a 48-hour 'hackathon' style event – in November. One of the first of its kind in Canada, the contest challenges students to come up with innovative ways to identify and address what they see as perceived issues in health care through the development of a mobile app.
Amber MacArthur (Amber Mac), technology expert and co-host of BNN's App Central, will emcee the app launch.

WHEN: Tuesday, May 26, 2015

TIME: 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

WHERE: Brampton Civic Hospital Atrium
2100 Bovaird Drive East, Brampton, ON

WHO: Harinder Malhi, MPP Brampton-Springdale
Matthew Anderson, President and CEO, William Osler Health System
Susan deRyk, Joint VP, Patient Experience, Communications and Strategy, William Osler Health System

Team Engage – University of Toronto graduate students and app developers: Cory Blumenfeld, Victor Chen, Haley Liu and Jerry Tang. Development and testing: Zach Fisch
Rich Smart, President, Fieldpoint Service Applications Inc.
Amber Mac, technology expert and co-host of BNN's App Central

Team Engage will be on hand to show members of the media how the app works.

Fieldpoint Service Applications Inc., a software and service management provider located in Oakville, sponsored Osler's national student app contest and will present a cheque for $10,000 to Team Engage.

"Osler Outpatient" will be available on Google Play as a free download for Android devices for use by Osler patients.

For more information about Osler's national student app contest, visit www.williamoslerhs.ca.

ABOUT WILLIAM OSLER HEALTH SYSTEM: William Osler Health System is a hospital system 'Accredited with Exemplary Standing' that serves 1.3 million residents of Brampton, Etobicoke, and surrounding communities within the Central West Local Health Integration Network. Osler's emergency departments are among the busiest in Canada and its labour and delivery program is one of the largest in the province. William Osler Health System Foundation builds and fosters relationships in order to raise funds to support William Osler Health System's capital, education and research priorities at Brampton Civic Hospital, Etobicoke General Hospital and the new Peel Memorial Centre for Integrated Health & Wellness.