Rheumatology

The homunculus is a small being from folklore previously firmly related to sixteenth-century alchemy; famously found in literature such as Goethe’s Faust. Now, the homunculus is the new solution for the Rheumatology clinic at UHN developed by DADOS.

Rheumatology is the medical study of the musculoskeletal system, most well-known to the public for treating conditions including, but not limited to, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. The Rheumatology Division at UHN is the largest of its kind in Canada and a leader in training a new generation of medical students. Despite leading the field, a problem still existed; due to the nature of the study, precise notes must be taken at each visit to locate the precise locations of pain. Each clinical protocol was several pages long, inquiring about the state of each major joint. Often times, it would be difficult to understand which joint the protocol was asking about; and equally as difficult for the patient to describe the location of the pain and find it in the long protocol. Eventually, the clinical protocols accumulated, filling binders per patient. This also meant that the researchers needed to search through binders of forms to find a specific protocol. Overall, this process was time-consuming and difficult for both the patient and the researchers.