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Speaking to TechGraph, Saurav Kasera, Co-Founder of CLIRNET spoke about the company’s focus on finding practical and sustainable solutions to the challenges faced by doctors, particularly the high doctor-to-patient ratio in certain specialties through its innovative platform.
Read the complete interview:
TechGraph: What inspired the creation of CLIRNET, and how has it evolved over time?
Saurav Kasera: CLIRNET is dedicated to empowering doctors with innovative tools and services to enhance their ability to provide high-quality, accessible, and equitable patient care. The company’s vision centers around finding practical and sustainable solutions to the challenges faced by doctors, which can impede effective treatment.
One major challenge is the high doctor-to-patient ratio, especially for specialist treatment (ratio of 1 doctor to a million patients for some specialties).
This places a significant burden on general practitioners, who may need more qualifications and training to address complex medical conditions thoroughly. The absence of standardized medical practices, ongoing training, and mentorship leads to weak healthcare outcomes at the primary level. Consequently, patients often seek specialist care only when their condition deteriorates, with a lack of peer collaboration and referral systems further compromising patient care.
To tackle these issues, CLIRNET was conceptualized as an innovative platform that facilitates the migration and dissemination of medical knowledge, promotes the standardization of clinical practices, and improves the affordability and accessibility of healthcare services. By integrating digital technology, CLIRNET aims to streamline processes and provide seamless serviceability for doctors, ultimately benefitting the entire healthcare system.
Over time, CLIRNET evolved to meet the changing needs of the medical community. It started as a continuing medical education platform exclusively for doctors but expanded its services. DocTube was introduced as a video-based health content platform dedicated to the Indian public, allowing verified doctors to share authentic medical knowledge in compliance with the National Medical Council’s standards.
Additionally, CLIRNET introduced AiDA, India’s first AI-powered Doctor’s Assistant, to further enhance its platform and provide advanced technological support to doctors in their clinical practice and decision-making. Through its evolution, CLIRNET continues to innovate and support doctors in their professional development, ultimately improving patient care and the overall healthcare landscape.
TechGraph: Can you discuss the benefits that CLIRNET’s platform offers to doctors and how it supports their professional development?
Saurav Kasera: CLIRNET offers numerous benefits to doctors and supports their professional development. It provides a space for doctors to connect, collaborate, and share medical knowledge, facilitating discussions and case studies. CLIRNET offers Continuing Medical Education (CME) programs, enabling doctors to enhance their knowledge and skills through accredited educational activities.
The platform grants doctors access to a vast repository of medical resources, including research articles and treatment protocols, assisting in both evidence- and experience-based decision-making. Doctors can connect with subject experts, seeking opinions and guidance for professional mentorship. CLIRNET fosters collaboration and networking opportunities, promoting a sense of community among doctors.
Additionally, it offers practice management support tools to streamline administrative tasks, allowing doctors to focus more on patient care. The introduction of AiDA, an AI-powered virtual assistant, further aids doctors by analyzing patient data and assisting in clinical decision-making. In summary, CLIRNET empowers doctors with knowledge sharing, CME programs, access to resources, expert insights, collaboration opportunities, practice management support, and AI assistance, all contributing to their professional growth and enhancing patient care quality.
TechGraph: How does CLIRNET ensure the accuracy and reliability of information shared on its platform? What measures are in place to protect user privacy and data security?
Saurav Kasera: CLIRNET takes several measures to ensure the accuracy and reliability of information shared on its platform and protect user privacy and data security. To maintain information accuracy and reliability, CLIRNET verifies the credentials of all doctors who join the platform. Only verified doctors can share medical knowledge and information on the platform.
This verification process helps ensure that doctors provide content from qualified professionals with expertise in their respective fields. CLIRNET also has a content moderation system to review and monitor information shared on its platform.
This system helps identify and remove content that violates platform guidelines or standards. Additionally, users can report any inaccurate or misleading information, which is then promptly reviewed by CLIRNET’s medical team consisting of qualified medical professionals.
In terms of privacy and data security, CLIRNET employs robust measures to protect user information. It complies with relevant data protection and privacy laws and implements industry-standard security protocols. User data is encrypted to safeguard it from unauthorized access, and stringent access controls are in place to restrict data access to authorized personnel only.
CLIRNET has implemented measures to ensure data security during transmission and storage, such as secure servers and regular security audits. User privacy is respected, and personal information is handled with strict confidentiality. CLIRNET is an ISO:27001-certified organization with regular audits by accredited third parties.
Furthermore, CLIRNET has a privacy policy that outlines how user data is collected, used, and protected. Users can control their personal information and manage their privacy settings on the platform.
TechGraph: How does CLIRNET’s platform differ from other online resources available to healthcare professionals, and what unique features does it offer?
Saurav Kasera: With its unique offerings, CLIRNET’s platform stands out from other online resources available to healthcare professionals. One notable feature is MedWiki, an extensive medical encyclopedia curated by verified doctors, providing comprehensive and reliable information on medical conditions, treatments, and procedures. It is a perfect blend of evidential and experiential medicine; which doctors have long sought.
Another distinguishing feature is the “Discuss and Refer” platform, which allows doctors to engage in case discussions, seek opinions from peers, and collaborate on challenging cases, fostering a sense of community and facilitating knowledge sharing among healthcare professionals. CLIRNET also offers Continuous Medical Education (CME) programs, ensuring doctors stay up-to-date with the latest medical advancements and earn CME credits for professional development.
Additionally, CLIRNET’s integration of TeleHealth capabilities with “Telemed lite” enables doctors to schedule virtual consultations with patients living remotely, thus, increasing their access to healthcare services. With the launch of AiDA, CLIRNET is now equipping doctors with AI-powered clinical decision-guiding tools.
With these features, CLIRNET empowers healthcare professionals with reliable medical knowledge, collaborative platforms, continuous education opportunities, and the ability to provide virtual care, ultimately enhancing patient care and access to healthcare.
TechGraph: How does CLIRNET ensure patient privacy and security in its telemedicine consultations?
Saurav Kasera: CLIRNET’s Telemed Lite is a secure and user-friendly platform designed to ensure patient privacy and security during the scheduling of consultations. With Telemed Lite, CLIRNET incorporates several measures to protect patient information and maintain confidentiality.
Firstly, the platform requires authorized user authentication, ensuring that only verified healthcare professionals and qualified staff can access the platform. This helps prevent unauthorized individuals from accessing patient data or scheduling consultations. Additionally, Telemed Lite utilizes encryption and advanced security protocols to secure communication between healthcare professionals and patients. This ensures that sensitive information shared during the scheduling process remains confidential and cannot be intercepted or accessed by unauthorized parties.
CLIRNET also adheres to strict data privacy practices, complying with relevant privacy laws and regulations. Patient data is securely stored and processed, with robust access controls and audit trails in place to monitor and track any data interactions. Furthermore, Telemed Lite incorporates consent management features, allowing patients to provide informed consent for scheduling consultations and sharing relevant medical information. This ensures that patients have control over their health data and understand how it will be used during the scheduling process.
Overall, CLIRNET’s Telemed Lite prioritizes patient privacy and security, employing secure access, encrypted communication, data privacy measures, and consent management to create a safe environment for scheduling consultations while safeguarding patient information.
TechGraph: What are the challenges CLIRNET faces in attracting and retaining doctors and medical professionals on its platform?
Saurav Kasera: CLIRNET has successfully attracted over 4 lakh doctors to its platform by providing a compelling experience for medical professionals. One key factor in its success is the quality of content available on the platform. CLIRNET ensures that the content shared by doctors is reliable, accurate, and relevant to their medical practice. This commitment to maintaining high-quality content has helped build trust among doctors, encouraging them to participate and engage on the platform actively.
The emphasis on user experience has played a crucial role in retaining doctors on the platform and sustaining their engagement. Additionally, CLIRNET prioritizes user experience and continually works to improve its platform. By focusing on user feedback and implementing enhancements based on their needs, CLIRNET has created a user-friendly and intuitive interface. This makes it easier for doctors to navigate the platform, access information, and discuss with their peers.
Our current challenges center around providing a balanced approach to helping doctors with clinical decision-making and data management. Moreover, CLIRNET’s commitment to providing valuable networking opportunities and professional development resources has also contributed to its success. The platform facilitates peer-to-peer collaboration, allowing doctors to seek opinions, share knowledge, and learn from each other.
Additionally, CLIRNET offers Continuous Medical Education (CME) programs, enabling doctors to stay updated with the latest medical advancements and earn credits. These initiatives demonstrate CLIRNET’s dedication to supporting the professional growth of doctors, further enhancing their engagement and commitment to the platform.
TechGraph: Can you discuss any plans or developments for CLIRNET’s platform, and how it will continue to support healthcare professionals’ needs?
Saurav Kasera: CLIRNET has an exciting roadmap for the future, with a strong emphasis on enhancing its platform to support healthcare professionals‘ needs better. One of the critical areas of development is the expansion and enrichment of its content offerings. CLIRNET will continue to focus on curating high-quality and reliable content, ensuring it remains up-to-date with the latest medical advancements and guidelines. This includes expanding the MedWiki feature, a comprehensive medical encyclopedia that provides in-depth information on various medical conditions, treatments, and procedures.
Additionally, CLIRNET is committed to providing continuous medical education (CME) programs in innovative formats. The platform will introduce new and engaging CME formats, incorporating interactive elements, case-based learning, and gamification to make the learning experience more immersive and impactful.
Furthermore, CLIRNET’s plans include expanding and advancing its AI-powered Doctor’s Assistant (AiDA). AiDA leverages artificial intelligence to assist doctors in their clinical practice, providing them with intelligent recommendations, clinical decision support, and access to relevant medical resources. CLIRNET will continue to invest in the development of AiDA, incorporating advanced AI technologies to make it even more intuitive, efficient, and valuable for healthcare professionals.
Lastly, the growth and enhancement of DocTube will remain a priority for CLIRNET. DocTube, the video-based health content platform, will continue to host a vast array of medical videos contributed by verified doctors. CLIRNET will strive to expand the content library, covering a wide range of medical topics and specialties, while ensuring the videos are accessible in local languages and relevant to the specific healthcare needs of the Indian population. We will invest in innovative services that strengthen the doctor-patient relationship and build trust.