Dr Olaf Rusoke-Dierich and the GP-built device strengthening clinical documentation

Closing the evidence gap in everyday practice

Dr Olaf Rusoke-Dierich did not set out to disrupt general practice. He set out to solve a vulnerability most clinicians quietly live with every day.

“I’m a Fellow of the RACGP and have spent years working in primary care, where efficiency, accuracy and documentation really matter,” he says. “Like many clinicians, I was using multiple analogue tools every day and seeing how limited they were, particularly when it came to visualising findings, documenting them properly, and explaining them to patients.”

The issue was not clinical skill. It was proof.

“The biggest issue was the disconnect between high-quality clinical care and the evidence we rely on to support it. Clinicians are under pressure to see more patients, manage more complexity, and meet higher documentation standards, often with outdated tools.”

In visually driven assessments, that gap becomes stark: “In areas like skin, ear and eye assessments, we rely heavily on subjective descriptions. Over time, those descriptions can be open to interpretation.” 

In 2018, Rusoke-Dierich founded medtech company JD Sanmed with a focused ambition. 

“I wanted to help clinicians create clearer, more objective records without slowing them down.”

A clinician-led innovation

Rather than retrofit consumer technology, Dr Rusoke-Dierich chose to build something purpose-designed for clinical environments.

“Smartphone attachments can seem convenient, but personal devices were never designed for medical imaging or long-term clinical governance,” he says.

“They introduce privacy, security and data integrity risks, particularly around storage, backups and image processing. From a practice and medico-legal perspective, that creates uncertainty.”

The result was the iXope, developed as a standalone medical device with governance built in from the outset.

It combines an ophthalmoscope, otoscope and dermatoscope with medical microscope capability into one portable digital unit. Clinicians can capture high-quality images at the point of care and integrate them directly into documentation, patient education and referrals.

“The goal was not to replace clinical judgement,” he says. “It was to support it with better evidence.”

Documentation that stands up

In Australia’s regulatory environment, documentation is rarely tested in the moment. It might be examined years later.

“Complaints and audits are rarely about intent. They’re about evidence,” Dr Rusoke-Dierich explains. “Documentation needs to stand up long after the consultation has taken place.”

That reality shaped the product’s philosophy. It had to strengthen the clinical record without adding workflow friction.

Beyond compliance, the operational implications are significant.

“By consolidating tools and integrating imaging into the consultation, clinicians can reduce duplication, shorten explanations and document more efficiently,” he says. “In some cases, it may also support managing more care within the practice rather than defaulting to referrals, which can improve access for patients and workflow sustainability for clinics.”

In an environment where one in three GPs report profitability pressures and administrative burden continues to rise, efficiency is no longer a nice-to-have. It is a business imperative.

Ultimately, he frames it simply: “It’s about helping clinicians work smarter within existing constraints.”

Beyond metro practice

The implications extend beyond city practices.

In rural and regional Australia, where specialist access is limited and waiting times can stretch for months, the quality of a referral can directly influence how quickly a patient is seen.

“Better imaging supports clearer triage and higher-quality referrals,” he says. “In some cases, it can also facilitate remote consultation or specialist input.”

He is measured about its scope.

“It doesn’t replace specialist care. But it can help ensure patients receive timely and appropriate management closer to home where possible.”

For communities where distance shapes health outcomes, stronger documentation can mean more than administrative strength. It can mean faster decisions

What makes a game changer?

In healthcare, the word innovation is often reserved for billion-dollar platforms and headline-grabbing breakthroughs. Dr Rusoke-Dierich takes a more thoughtful view.

“For me, it’s not about disruption for its own sake,” he says. “A real game changer is something that fits into everyday practice, reduces risk and helps clinicians do what they already do, just better and more confidently.”

The response from colleagues suggests the issue resonates.

“Clinicians recognise the problem immediately because it reflects their daily experience. Many appreciate that the iXope was designed by someone who understands the realities of practice, rather than as a purely technical solution looking for a use case.”

That distinction matters. Healthcare is full of technology searching for adoption. Far fewer solutions begin with lived clinical friction and build outward.