PHOENIX — A Valley teen spent his summer finding a way to help out a local doctor.
Ian Martinez, 17, is a high school senior. He told ABC15 while helping out at New Beginnings Pediatrics off 67th Avenue, he noticed a doctor there was having to put in quite the effort just to track PPE inventory.
"Two paper spreadsheets at two different places in her office where she, with a pencil, writes down every individual thing she takes out and writes every shipment," Martinez said. "Then she has to compare that to a whole bunch of different forms and mentally calculate...when she has to reorder things."
Martinez set out to create software with the program Smartsheet to help out the doctor.
"It's a huge time saver and eliminates human error," Martinez said.
The system Ian created automatically tracks PPE usage, with a provider using a tablet to input what items they used, such as masks or gloves, and they will receive an alert whenever the supply reaches a pre-set threshold. Martinez hopes other small clinics also find a need for his invention and said he is working with the software company to try and make it available to the public.
"I saw how much of a problem it was for (the doctor)," Martinez said. "I knew it would make her life so much easier and potentially make the lives of other doctors so much easier and help them spend more time with patient care."
Dr. Miriam Villanueva Schwan with New Beginnings Pediatrics told ABC15 by phone that Ian has a "very bright future ahead." She said the system he created will be very helpful for the practice and expects it will be up and running within the next week.
