Abstract
Doximity, Inc. has done an excellent job combining their massive medical network with in app features that attempt to streamline the workflow of all healthcare professionals. From easy communication with colleagues, access to a treasure trove of relevant information, and the ability to call patients without the fear of giving away one’s private cell phone, all from a clean and simple UI, Doximity is truly an essential tool in the workplace. Unfortunately, the Doximity app cannot be accessed unless you are a healthcare professional. While the application is intended to be a means of communication with colleagues, the app lacks proper messaging features that could allow for consistent workday communication with team members. Fortunately, the application is built on feedback from users, so any desired features are likely already coming down the pipeline. In creating this application, Doximity, Inc. sets out to tackle one of the biggest issues facing healthcare workers and the patients they treat: miscommunication and handoff errors. The Doximity application aims to do this by creating a platform that enables quick and easy communication between physicians, HIPPA-compatible document transfer, and a streamlined service to securely contact patients and colleagues.
Keywords: Doximity, Doximity Inc., Medical, Messaging, eFax, Social network, Physician network
App Specs
App icon URL: https://ga0.imgix.net/logo/o/91181-1041379029.png?auto=format&ch=Width%2CDPR&dpr=2&ixjsv=2.0.0&ixlib=rb-1.0.0&q=50&w=125
App Name: Doximity
App developer: Doximity, Inc.
App developer website: https://www.doximity.com/
App price: Free
Apple App Store URL: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id393642611?mt=8
Google Play Store URL: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.doximity.doximitydroid&referrer=af_tranid%3D4VgWRPuLp6hPKPN_-SrkXw%26pid%3Dinternal_marketing%26c%3Dweb_doximity_clinicians_download
Category: Workflow, Social Network, Medical
(e.g., clinical, workflow, educational, reference, journal, society, consumer)
Tags: Medical Network, Medical Newsfeed, Secure Phone, and Fax
(e.g., clinical reference educational free freemium FDA-approved radiology lung iPad-only iOS-only)
Works offline: No
FDA approval: NA
Promotion code: NA
Quick Review
(1 star: lowest/5 stars: highest)
Overall rating (1–5): 5
Content (1–5): 5
Usability (1–5): 5
Pros: Doximity, Inc. has done an excellent job combining their massive medical network with in app features that attempt to streamline the workflow of all healthcare professionals. From easy communication with colleagues, access to a treasure trove of relevant information, and the ability to call patients without the fear of giving away one’s private cell phone, all from a clean and simple UI, Doximity is truly an essential tool in the workplace.
Cons: Unfortunately, the Doximity app cannot be accessed unless you are a healthcare professional. While the application is intended to be a means of communication with colleagues, the app lacks proper messaging features that could allow for consistent workday communication with team members. Fortunately, the application is built on feedback from users, so any desired features are likely already coming down the pipeline.
At a glance: In creating this application, Doximity, Inc. sets out to tackle one of the biggest issues facing healthcare workers and the patients they treat: miscommunication and handoff errors. The Doximity application aims to do this by creating a platform that enables quick and easy communication between physicians, HIPPA-compatible document transfer, and a streamlined service to securely contact patients and colleagues.
Full Review
Intro
Doximity is first and foremost one of the original and arguably most successful attempts at a medical social network. Doximity describes themselves as the largest community of healthcare professionals in the country. If you are in the healthcare industry in any capacity, you have likely heard of Doximity. But unless you have used it, it’s difficult to capture all that Doximity is in one sentence. It has been described as the social network for doctors, a LinkedIn for physicians, a medical news delivery service, a residency rank list, and even a messaging application. Some tech savvy individuals even use Doximity to check a physician’s profile to ensure legitimacy. Doximity truly is all of that and more.
Doximity originally launched in 2011 with the idea in mind to limit medical mistakes and encourage collaboration with colleagues to provide better care for patients. While this ideology is still true to the application, over time, it has evolved into so much more. With over one million members, covering over 70% of US doctors and 45% of NP, as stated by their website, Doximity certainly has a broad reach into the medical community. Doximity is the largest, secure, HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) compatible medical network in the USA which makes it an invaluable resource to healthcare professionals, making it effortless for individuals from different institutions to seamlessly work together.
The Doximity application is the company’s attempt to make the utility of their network accessible on mobile platforms. It is the application that truly makes it clear that Doximity is first and foremost a social network, but a network that provides you with the tools to make your work day easier. It is a way to share news, communicate with distant colleagues, or even communicate with your own patients. With the incorporation of their once separate Doximity Dialer application into the main Doximity application, it may now be considered one of the must have applications that any modern physician should have on their mobile device.
Purpose/Features/Content
The purpose of the Doximity application is to give its users the utility of their well-established medical social network on their mobile devices. Doximity is much more than a social network and a quick visit to their website would make that clear. They are a valuable resource for anything health related and a useful portal for medical news and information, and they have grown to be a key resource for medical students and residents alike as they search for residencies and fellowships. As a network, their main goal is communication between physicians. The Doximity application was developed to bring that social network to the work place and insert themselves into the workflow of all healthcare workers in order to enhance their daily experience as well as their patients.
Before you can download the Doximity app and access the application, you need to have a username and password. If you are part of the healthcare workforce, you likely already have a profile created that just has not been claimed yet; otherwise, you are eligible to sign up as long as you are a healthcare professional or in training. You can make or claim your account at Doximity.com, but if you have not done so, you can register right in the app. When you open the app for the first time, you are taken to their home screen which gives you the option to Sign In or Join (Fig. 1). Choose the Join function and you are invited to search for your name in their compiled database (Fig. 2); otherwise, you can create your own profile and verify it with a valid work address or institutional email.
Fig. 1.
Log in screen
Fig. 2.
Claim your profile screen
One you are logged into the application, you are taken to their Home screen which is similar to the newsfeed displayed in most social media applications (Fig. 3). The newsfeed is curated selection of weekly and monthly news articles and even published journal articles pertinent to the medical field which at the moment is not customizable. You have the option to add colleagues to your personal network, similar to adding friends on a social platform, and as your network grows, your newsfeed will begin to reflect the articles your colleagues are reading, liking, and commenting on. Even without adding colleagues on the app, the newsfeed is a public forum that enables you and other users to discuss the included articles in the comments or share these articles with individuals both inside and outside of the application. If you click the magnifying glass icon at the top left of the main screen, you are taken to a search setting which allows you to search for people, nearby physicians, hospitals, specific news articles, and even job listings (Fig. 4). Immediately after searching, you are given the top results in all categories and are free to continue searching within each category. Many users find this most helpful for finding colleagues in their vicinity, arranging referrals, and quickly keeping up to date with their respective fields.
Fig. 3.
Sample “Home” screen newsfeed
Fig. 4.
Sample search bar result screen
Moving to the right, at the bottom of the screen, you have the option to select the Colleagues category. This is your friend list and you can control who you choose to add into or remove from your friend list. On this page, Doximity will suggest “People You May Know” based on the medical school you attended, the hospitals you are working at, or the location you are currently in. You also have an option at the top right to search your phone contacts for any individuals in your phone book that may have a Doximity profile. While it is easier to add a large number of individuals from one institution when on Doximity.com, this option on the mobile application provides the ability to add people quickly when on the go.
The next feature is arguably one of the greatest features on this application. Doximity Dialer used to be its own separate application which allowed for secure calls to patients and colleagues and enabled you to choose the caller ID displayed on the receiving end of your phone call. Doximity has now integrated the Doximity Dialer in the main Doximity application. The beauty of this feature is the ability to call patients from the comfort of your own mobile device without divulging your personal cell phone number. Rather, you can give your patients a callback number of your choosing, for example, your office telephone number. Choosing the center Dialer tab, you are taken to a screen that states “Let’s Get Started” (Fig. 5). Following along, the next screen allows you to choose your own number as stated above and then the app will conclude setup. After you choose your number, you are brought to a dialing pad which allows you to place a call with the chosen Caller ID as listed at the top of the screen (Fig. 6). You are able to call anyone in your contacts, view your previous calls, or change the number you wish to display. As this feature is part of an Internet application, Internet access is required to make calls.
Fig. 5.
Sample “Dialer” keypad with caller ID number visible
Fig. 6.
Sample “Dialer” setup screen
The final and just as important feature of this application is the Fax+Mail tab at the bottom right of the screen (Fig. 7). This is the feature that Doximity reports is the most utilized out of all those mentioned above. Just by downloading the application and agreeing to their terms and conditions, Doximity automatically creates a personal fax number for you with which you can send and receive documents right through the application. Gone is the need to have a devoted phone line for a fax machine, and long gone are the days of waiting several minutes by the office fax machine for important documents to come through. With this feature, a HIPPA-secured fax line, you can quickly send documents to colleagues whom you are referring patients or quickly receive emergent patient information all right from your phone. This appears to be the most talked about and most written about feature of this application, and it’s clear why.
Fig. 7.
Sample “Fax+Mail” message screen
Usability
Doximity is an extremely user-friendly application. Doximity was founded by Jeff Tangney, who also happens to be the co-founder of Epocrates, another essential and highly user-friendly medical reference application. Thus, it is not surprising that this application is so easy to use. From the second you open the application to get started, you are directed where you should navigate and why. When initially opening the application, you are notified by pop-up prompts of features that you may not have noticed. There is almost no confusion when navigating the application, and the UI is clean and clear to understand. The app is highly responsive and does not crash under typical usage. Doximity is even branching out beyond the walls of its application and attempting to integrate its utilities into the medical record applications we already use. For example, they are partnering with Epic and their mobile platform, Haiku, in order to integrate the Doximity Dialer into the health record itself. If anything, the app is exciting because you can explore and discover all the hidden features Doximity has to offer that you may not have originally been aware of.
Good
As stated previously, this application is slowly building its reputation as an essential tool in any modern physician’s smart phone. You are able to quickly keep up to date with weekly news, relevant to your specialty. You can quickly connect with old colleagues across the country and collaborate with new colleagues with ease. You can contact your patients from the comfort of your own home or car without divulging your personal cell phone number to your patients. Lastly, you can send and receive sensitive information from the comfort and security of your own cell phone, streamlining what used to be a cumbersome task. This application will only continue developing useful features as Doximity and their employees seek to enhance the experience of healthcare workers.
Room for Improvement
While the application serves its audience well, it is not without room for improvement. Individuals who know Doximity and the wealth of information they provide, such as residency rank list or physician career statistics, may be upset to know this information is not as easy to find in the application. While the application does curate a nice selection of articles in the newsfeed, users will likely be disappointed to know they cannot customize this newsfeed to better fit their specialty. This is a change Doximity will likely make in the near future. While in the app itself it is difficult to find colleagues unless you search for them specifically by name. It would be preferred if the application had a mechanism where you can search for students at a particular school or residents at a particular institution and add them quickly. Lastly, to really set this application apart from other medical communication apps, they should curate a pure messaging service that would allow for communication between team members in a HIPPA-secured forum. The addition of this final feature would cement this application as an essential app on every healthcare professional’s mobile device.