New Zealand Healthcare App Supports Better Outcomes For Medicinal Cannabis Patients

New Zealand health and wellness company Ora Pharm has launched a new app to help patients integrate medicinal cannabis into their healthcare safely and effectively.

Studies have found that mobile health (mHealth) apps, similar to the Ora Pharm App, can help to improve healthcare outcomes and reduce doctors’ workload, which may appeal to busy GPs.

The Ora Pharm App, believed to be the first of its kind in New Zealand, enables patients to track their medications (including Medicinal Cannabis), dosing information, symptoms, mental wellbeing, and other health and lifestyle factors using their smartphone.

Patients can learn how changes to their medication and lifestyle make them feel and adapt their daily routine for optimal wellbeing.

The app also provides a direct link between patients and doctors via a secure portal. Patients can share timely information on their medication, symptoms and lifestyle, which helps doctors to adjust dosages of new and existing medications and provide more tailored care and support.

The Ora Pharm App fills a gap in the New Zealand healthcare system by helping patients navigate the new world of medicinal cannabis with confidence and take control of their wellness journey.

Medicinal cannabis and CBD are being used for a wide range of health conditions in New Zealand. There’s a growing body of anecdotal and scientific evidence that suggests medicinal cannabis can help to improve patients’ quality of life and reduce adverse side effects of conventional medications, such as opioids and antidepressants.

The idea for the app came from a simple question: How can we help patients and doctors improve their understanding of medicinal cannabis and, at the same time, improve healthcare outcomes?

“Hundreds of thousands of people in New Zealand are using medicinal cannabis and that number’s likely to keep increasing. The app is designed to help these patients and their doctors to use medicinal cannabis safely and effectively,” says Ora Pharm founder and CEO Zoe Reece.

“If we can guide patients on their healthcare journey and help them to optimise their treatment plan, reduce side effects of other medications, make better lifestyle choices and stay on track towards their goals, then we’d expect to see improved patient outcomes across the board.”

Reece’s extensive experience in the legal cannabis industry in the United States, where she played a leading role in the expansion of the country’s largest cannabis company Curaleaf, opened her eyes to the importance of supporting and educating patients, which is why Ora Pharm has prioritised the development of a patient-centric app.

Ora Pharm Research and Medical Officer and cannabinoid researcher, Dr Roger Negrete, says the Ora Pharm App has the potential to improve clinical decision making and reduce the load on the healthcare system.

“Health apps empower patients, giving them greater control of, and involvement in, their own healthcare. They also improve access to education around medications and health conditions, and help patients and doctors make more informed decisions together,” Dr Negrete says.

“Additionally, health apps reduce the impact on the healthcare system and increase its

efficiency by reducing the need for doctor and hospital visits, as well as helping to make

healthcare more accessible for under-served populations, such as those living in remote areas.”

A study from Cornell University in the United States found that healthcare apps, similar to the Ora Pharm App, can lead to improved health outcomes. The study, published in February 2021, found diabetes patients who used a health tracking app became more autonomous and motivated in self-regulating their health behaviour, and more engaged and consistent in their lifestyle and wellness behaviour within 15 months.

Anonymised patient data from the Ora Pharm app will also help to inform the growing medicinal cannabis industry in New Zealand by providing trends and insights that can be used to highlight symptoms and conditions that would benefit from clinical research and product development. In fact, the recently launched research arm will even enable participants in Phase one to three clinical trials to provide anonymised real-time data via their OraPharm app on their smartphone.

The Ora Pharm App is available for free download in the Apple app store and on Google Play.

Learn more about the Ora Pharm app here.

About Ora Pharm

Ora Pharm is a health and wellness company developing high-quality, sustainably produced medicinal cannabis in Waikato, New Zealand. Our vision is to provide patients, caregivers and doctors with premium plant-based healthcare products that support everyday wellbeing and improve quality of life. Ora Pharm has a license to cultivate, manufacture and supply medicinal cannabis in New Zealand and will obtain Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certification, the globally recognised quality control system used in pharmaceutical product manufacturing.

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