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Our Clients: Dr. Bruce Carleton

A baby who died of an excess of morphine in her blood. A child who was given ibuprofen, a common analgesic (pain reliever), and later died in hospital of catastrophic skin loss. In his office at the Pharmaceutical Outcomes Programme at the BC Children's Hospital, Dr. Bruce Carleton looks at these and other individual cases of serious drug reactions in the database he has been meticulously building.

Individually, each is a tragedy. But in aggregate, they are part of the research that’s helping reduce adverse drug reactions (also known as side effects). This is the 5th leading cause of death in North America and a growing public health issue as a growing population takes an ever-broader array of prescription drugs.

Tracking each case, and analyzing trends in that data, is a specialized function for which no off-the-shelf solution exists. Oak Bay Softrends is the developer that Bruce has been relying on now for over 9 years.

“The reason I’m doing this testimonial for Oak Bay is that I’ve worked with many developers over the years, and they all have great advice and promises, but they don’t have the ability to deliver. This company does,” says Bruce.

What’s it like working with Oak Bay?

“It’s interesting. It’s been a very positive relationship,” Bruce says. “They’ve created something that’s awesome.”

At the same time, though, Bruce acknowledges the difficulty in balancing his wish list with the realities of the cost of development.

“You want a Cadillac, sure, but maybe you can only afford a Kia. So you build a Kia now, and then you upgrade it to a Honda next year. Oak Bay has not been inexpensive, but the software is enhanced over time as we can afford to continue our investment. Oak Bay is in it for the long haul with us.”

And while Oak Bay has been good at helping Bruce to get what his end users need, they have been great at delivering on time.

“This is academics and we rely on grants, so this is the most deadline-oriented environment you can imagine. You have to trust this company that’s working with you, and with trust comes risk—but Oak Bay has delivered every time.

Bruce is a Macintosh user going back for many, many years—in fact, like many doctors focusing on drug reactions, he still today uses an Apple Newton. Oak Bay has been a part of the Vancouver Macintosh community for almost as long as there’s been one.

“We’re effective, efficient, on the ground and making a difference. Oak Bay will always be part of our process, helping us make that difference.”