Daily WhatsApp check-ins
Pain, wound photo, fever, calf pain and exercises on a six-week schedule, with tap-to-reply buttons.
✦ Our product · For hospitals in India
Post-surgery recovery, followed up on WhatsApp
Hitaishi checks in with your patients every day after they go home, on the app they already use. Your care team sees who needs attention first, based on red-flag rules your own clinicians set.
- No app for patients
- Red-flag rules set by your clinicians
- No changes to your HIS
- Data hosted in India
Hitaishi (ಹಿತೈಷಿ · हितैषी) means “well-wisher”.
The gap after discharge
After discharge, recovery happens out of sight
The surgery went well and the patient goes home. The next six weeks shape how the recovery goes, yet most of what happens at home never reaches the people who operated.
- Families are unsure what is normalThey worry and call, or wait and hope. Small concerns are easy to miss.
- Exercises and follow-ups slipPhysio is hard to keep up at home, and review visits get postponed.
- Care teams hear late, if at allManual follow-up calls don’t scale. Problems surface at the next OPD visit, or in emergency.
How it works
WhatsApp for patients. A dashboard for your care team.
One conversation, one record. What the patient says on WhatsApp is what your team sees, in the same minute.
On the patient’s (or family’s) phone
HitaishiJoint Replacement Team
Good morning! Time for your Day 3 recovery check-in.
How is your pain today, from 0 (none) to 10 (worst possible)?
How is your pain today, from 0 (none) to 10 (worst possible)?
8 · Severe
Thank you. I’ve informed the Joint Replacement Team. A nurse will call you soon.If it feels like an emergency, call the hospital or go to the nearest emergency department.
- Nothing to install. WhatsApp, on the phone they already have.
- Asked first. Consent before any check-in. STOP ends it at any time.
- Tap to answer. Short questions, wound photos, exercise videos and booking in the chat.
- Family in the loop. Caregivers give their own consent, get updates and can answer for the patient.
Example rule set by your cliniciansPain ≥ 7 → alert nurse + coordinator
On your care team’s dashboard
LP
Patient, Day 3 of 42Severe pain reported (8/10)
Needs reviewCall patientMark reviewed
SN
Patient, Day 6 of 42Missed exercises two days running
WatchJD
Patient, Day 30 of 42Follow-up attended
On track- Who needs attention first. Patients sorted by risk, with pain trend and adherence.
- Nothing left waiting. Unacknowledged red flags escalate to the coordinator, then the surgeon or duty doctor.
- The whole story. Answers (and who gave them), wound photos, pain and outcome-score charts and the chat in one record.
- Works from any browser. Role-based access for nurses, coordinators, surgeons and admins.
Illustrative example. Messages and values are invented.
Enrol at discharge
A nurse or coordinator adds the patient in about a minute and records how consent was given.
Daily check-ins at home
Each morning the patient taps through a few short questions on WhatsApp, on a schedule your clinicians agree.
Your team acts, on the record
Answers that match a rule reach the right staff, and escalate if nobody responds. Every review, call and note is logged.
Product tour
From discharge to outcome report, in the real product
Nine steps, shown in Hitaishi running in demo mode with simulated patients.
Step 1
Enrol at discharge, with consent
A nurse or coordinator enrols the patient in about a minute and records how consent was given, per purpose. A family member can be added with their own consent. The WhatsApp welcome goes out straight away, and check-ins start the next morning.
- Patient, pathway, procedure and discharge date
- How consent was given, by whom, with evidence: care messages (required) and anonymised benchmarking (optional)
- Family contact who can get updates and answer check-ins
- Enrol one by one, or upload a CSV or Excel list
Step 2
A short daily check-in on WhatsApp
Each morning the patient taps through a few questions: pain, wound, fever, calf pain and exercises. It takes under a minute, with nothing to install.
- Tap-to-reply buttons that are easy for older patients
- Wound photos and exercise videos in the chat
- HELP reaches the team; STOP ends the messages
Step 3
Family can follow along, and answer
A son or daughter can get their own WhatsApp messages: an evening update, a note when the care team is alerted, and the daily check-in. If the patient needs help, they answer for them, and the record shows who answered.
- Each family member gives their own consent
- Evening update, red-flag notices, answering check-ins: chosen per person
- Recorded as, for example, “by Karthik Prasad (son)”
Step 4
A red flag goes straight to the dashboard
Every answer is checked against the rules your clinicians set. A match moves the patient to the top of the dashboard and notifies the staff responsible for that unit on WhatsApp and SMS. Family members who opted in get a short note too.
- Patients sorted by who needs attention first
- Day of recovery, pain trend and exercise adherence at a glance
- The patient is always told to call the hospital if it feels urgent
Step 5
If nobody responds, it escalates
A red flag that nobody acknowledges moves up: to the coordinator after 15 minutes, then to the treating surgeon or duty doctor after 30, on WhatsApp and SMS. Acknowledging stops it.
- Times set by your clinicians, per pathway and unit
- Three missed check-ins in a row raise a red alert to call the patient or family
- Every escalation shown on the dashboard and in the audit log
Step 6
The nurse reviews and calls, and it is all audited
The nurse opens the alert, calls the patient, adds a note and marks it reviewed. The alert shows how long until it escalates, and acting on it stops the escalation.
- Pain chart and recovery timeline for each patient
- Escalation countdown on every open red flag
- Every view and action recorded in the audit log
Step 7
Your surgeons set the red flags
Thresholds, severity and who gets alerted are set by your clinicians in the rules editor, not by us. Default thresholds are only a starting template, reviewed and signed off by your surgeons before go-live.
- Per-rule thresholds and severity
- Choose who is alerted: nurse, coordinator, surgeon, admin
- Escalation times per pathway and unit
- Every change saved as a new version and recorded in the audit log
Step 8
Validated outcome scores, on WhatsApp
Knee patients get KOOS JR and hip patients HOOS JR, at baseline, week 6, month 3 and month 12, one question per message, in the published English wording. Each record shows the trend and the change from baseline.
- Answered by the patient only, never by family
- Averages by unit and surgeon, compared on the same patients
- Plus a week-6 check on walking, progress and satisfaction
Step 9
Analytics and a pilot report
“Activity generated by Hitaishi” counts what started from a Hitaishi message: physio packages and follow-up visits booked in the chat, and review and referral links opened. Plus attendance, alerts and time to acknowledge, completion, pain by week and outcome scores, by unit and surgeon.
- Each booking and link traced to the message that prompted it
- A printable pilot results report against the baseline you agree at the start
- Readmissions entered by your staff from your HIS
All screens and videos are from Hitaishi running in demo mode with simulated patients. No real patient data is shown.
Features
Everything post-discharge follow-up needs
Built for orthopaedic teams first, around how nurses, physiotherapists and surgeons already work.
Red flags your clinicians define
Thresholds, severity and who is alerted, set in a rules editor by your own clinical team.
Alerts and escalation
A risk-sorted patient list and alerts to the right staff, on WhatsApp and SMS. Unacknowledged red flags go to the coordinator after 15 minutes, then the surgeon or duty doctor.
Physio and follow-up booking
Patients book physiotherapy and their review visit in the chat. Your front desk confirms each booking and marks it attended or missed.
Outcome scores and analytics
KOOS JR and HOOS JR at baseline, week 6, month 3 and month 12, activity generated by Hitaishi, and a printable pilot report against your baseline.
Consent records and audit log
Consent per purpose, recorded with how and when, plus an append-only record of every staff view and action on patient data.
Family and caregivers
Each family member has their own consent and chooses an evening update, red-flag notices, or answering check-ins for the patient.
Secure staff access
Two-factor sign-in that admins can require by role, staff invites and deactivation, and patient names and phone numbers encrypted in the database.
Enrol one by one or in bulk
Add a patient at discharge in about a minute, or upload a CSV or Excel list. Consent is required either way.
Knee & hip pathway Built
Total knee and hip replacement, six weeks: the first pathway. Spine, cardiac and oncology pathways are planned.
Languages In progress
English today. ಕನ್ನಡ and हिन्दी are being translated by people and reviewed by clinicians before use. No machine translation of clinical text.
WhatsApp go-live Pre-launch
Hitaishi runs end to end today in demo mode, with a WhatsApp simulator. Sending on real WhatsApp starts once Meta approves the business account and message templates. No hospital uses it yet: we are looking for a first pilot partner.
Privacy and security
Patient data handled with care, and kept in India
Recovery check-ins are sensitive conversations. Hitaishi is designed to respect that from the very first message.
- Data hosted in IndiaPatient data is stored and processed on cloud infrastructure in India.
- Consent first, per purposeNo enrolment without recorded consent, then an opt-in on WhatsApp. Care messages and anonymised benchmarking are consented to and withdrawn separately. Family members give their own consent.
- Designed around the DPDP ActClear purpose, minimal data, defined retention, and patient data export and erasure for admins.
- Audit logEvery view of patient data and every dashboard action is recorded: who, what and when.
- Role-based access and 2FAStaff see the units and patients their role allows. Two-factor sign-in can be required by role.
- Encrypted names and numbersPatient and family names and phone numbers are encrypted field by field in the database (AES-256-GCM).
- No changes to your HISRuns alongside your hospital information system. No IT project to start.
A follow-up tool, not a doctor. Hitaishi does not diagnose or give medical advice. It asks the questions your clinicians choose, applies the rules they set and brings the answers to your care team. Every clinical decision stays with your clinicians.
60 day pilot
Start with a 60-day pilot at one unit
Pick one unit, such as your joint replacement service. We set Hitaishi up with your clinicians, train your team, and review the results with you at the end. No long contract, and no IT project to start.
Plan a pilot →- BeforeSet up the pathway with your cliniciansAgree the check-in schedule, red-flag rules, escalation times and who is alerted, plus the baseline numbers to compare against.
- Week 1Train the team and start enrollingShort training for nurses and coordinators. New patients are enrolled at discharge.
- Day 30Mid-pilot reviewLook at engagement and alerts with your team, and adjust the rules if needed.
- Day 60Review and decideGo through the printable pilot results report together: your baseline beside the pilot, week-6 outcome scores and the activity generated. Then decide.
FAQ
Questions hospitals ask us
Do patients need to install an app?
No. Patients use WhatsApp, which most families already have on their phones. There is nothing to download and no account to create.
Does Hitaishi diagnose patients or give medical advice?
No. Hitaishi is a communication and follow-up tool. It asks the questions your clinicians choose, flags answers that match the rules they set, and brings those to your care team. Diagnosis, advice and every clinical decision stay with your clinicians.
Who decides what counts as a red flag?
Your clinicians. They set the thresholds, the severity, who is alerted and the escalation times for each rule in the dashboard, for example a pain score at or above a set value, fever or a wound concern. Each change is saved as a new version and recorded in the audit log.
What happens if nobody responds to an alert?
It escalates. If a red flag is not acknowledged, it goes to the coordinator after 15 minutes, then to the treating surgeon and the unit’s duty doctor after 30 minutes, on WhatsApp and SMS. Your clinicians can change these times. If a patient misses three check-ins in a row, a red alert asks your team to call the patient or their family.
Do we need to change our hospital information system?
No. Hitaishi runs alongside your existing systems. Your team enrols patients from the Hitaishi dashboard at discharge, one by one or from a CSV or Excel list, so no HIS integration or IT project is needed to get started.
Where is patient data stored?
On cloud infrastructure hosted in India. Patient and family names and phone numbers are also encrypted field by field in the database. Access is role-based, staff can be required to use two-factor sign-in, and every view and action is recorded in an audit log.
How does Hitaishi handle consent and India’s DPDP Act?
Hitaishi is designed around India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. A patient cannot be enrolled without recorded consent, and consent is recorded per purpose: care messages are required, anonymised benchmarking is optional and can be withdrawn on its own. Patients confirm on WhatsApp before check-ins begin and can stop at any time by typing STOP. Family members give their own consent.
Which languages are supported?
English today. Kannada and Hindi are in progress: messages are being translated by people and reviewed by clinicians before they are used. Until a language is ready, patients receive English.
Can family members follow the patient’s recovery?
Yes. Your team can add one or more family members, each with their own recorded consent. Each one can get a short evening update, a message when the care team is alerted or the patient stops replying, and the daily check-in, which they can answer on the patient’s behalf. The record shows who answered. Outcome questionnaires are answered by the patient only.
Does Hitaishi measure outcomes?
Yes, with validated patient-reported outcome scores: KOOS JR for knee replacement and HOOS JR for hip replacement, at baseline, week 6, month 3 and month 12, on WhatsApp. Each patient’s record shows the trend, and analytics compares units and surgeons. A printable pilot report sets your agreed baseline beside the pilot period, and “activity generated by Hitaishi” counts the bookings and review and referral links that started from a Hitaishi message.
Is Hitaishi already in use at hospitals?
Not yet. Hitaishi is built and runs end to end in demo mode, with a WhatsApp simulator. Sending on real WhatsApp starts once Meta approves the business account and message templates, and we are looking for a first hospital to pilot it with.
Which surgeries does Hitaishi support?
Knee and hip replacement are the first pathway. Spine, cardiac and oncology pathways are planned.
Are the screenshots and videos on this page real patients?
No. Every screenshot and video on this page is from the Hitaishi product running in demo mode with simulated patients. No real patient data is shown, and the figures are demo data, not results.
How do we get started?
With a 60-day pilot at one unit. Book a demo and we will plan the pilot with your clinical and operations leads.
See Hitaishi with your team
A 30-minute walkthrough of the patient experience on WhatsApp and the care team dashboard, and a conversation about a pilot at your hospital.
Hitaishi is designed, engineered and run by Wittier in Bengaluru. Building a product of your own? Talk to us.