EP-Check Up

Founders

Katharina Porenta (Business Development), Elisabeth Scholz (Design), Toni Marence (Product)

Industry

Healthcare

Background

Frankfurt School, University of Edinburgh, UCL, Triton Partners,

Communication App that connects relatives of patients with medical staff

In 2021 Katharina’s grandfather suffered a stroke and spent a total of ten weeks in the hospital – first in the ICU then in the stroke unit. Among other things, the stroke caused him to lose the ability to communicate and Katharina’s family was thus entirely dependent on medical staff to keep them informed about his daily routine and well-being. Due to the extremely high workload of the staff, however, it was incredibly difficult for the family to get the desired information. 

The problem is a systemic one. The often-overburdened medical staff are simply unable to provide regular updates, as visiting hours are very busy and calls asking for information that come at an inconvenient time, are forwarded, or missed. Callbacks do not come through, are postponed or forgotten due to more pressing issues. As a result, an already highly distressing situation is made even worse for relatives that are worried about their loved-one. This is especially the case when families are unable to visit every day.

EP-Checkup eliminates this problem by offering medical staff a simple and fast communication channel. Using a tablet or phone, staff can send time-efficient voice messages, text messages or photos, which relatives can access on their own phone. This optimises the communication process and provides emotional relief for relatives, regardless of where they might be at the time.