It’s almost as good as being in the same room. Without a mask.
A new medical system fixes a significant gap in the telehealth clinical experience by incorporating smell.
“Nostril Navigator” was developed by olfactologist Professor Candid and his team.
“We’re all used to speaking with patients over the phone,” Professor Candid told The Medical Republic, “and most of us are now well versed in videoconferencing software, which helps us gather useful visual information about our patients.
“Our new product Nostril Navigator just takes things a little further, creating what you might call a more three-dimensional experience.”
The system uses sensors that recognise a multitude of organic molecules and turns them into electrical signals which are then transmitted via nasal spray directly into the doctor’s nostrils.
“Smell can provide an awful lot of clinical information,” the Professor explained. “And I do mean awful, sometimes.
“But our system does more than just let you know what the patient smells like! The AI collates enormous quantities of data about the patient, their personality, their lifestyle, their medical history and relationship they have with their doctor and synthesises all of this into one unique scent that provides a subconscious gateway into clinical decision making.
“It’s probably easier if I give you some examples. This morning I spoke with an amiable, energetic patient who just needed a repeat script. Nostril Navigator gave him a carefree ocean-breeze smell laced with freshly cut grass.
“However, a grumpy, self-entitled 59-year-old that I don’t particularly get on with smelled of a warm vet’s flannel soaked in cognac and bits of bacon.
“It can get pretty dark, too. A dissocial patient with the triad of Machiavellianism, narcissism and psychopathy who has spent most of his adult life in and out of jail smelled like a shovel, a set of jailors’ keys and a heavy overcoat caked in dried blood.”
It’s hoped that the system will allow patients to connect emotionally with their doctors in a virtual space like never before.
“You’ll find Nostril Navigator a very valuable system,” concluded Professor Candid, “but new and inexperienced doctors should be aware that it works both ways, and the only smell that’s easier to detect than abject fear is errant bullshit.”
