Fig. 6.1
It shows health education content category in InformHealth app category
Fig. 6.2
It shows content listing in “drugs” content category in InformHealth app category
Symptom Tracking Apps
Unlike some other chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes, which are asymptomatic for most part, IBD flares are typically symptomatic . There are many apps in the market that allow IBD specific symptoms to be tracked through electronic diaries or e-diaries like functionalities. Some of the commonly used apps in this category are:
GI Monitor
iPhone—4.5 Stars—Free
Android—3.9 Stars—Free
GI Monitor was designed by a patient who wanted his physician to access accurate information about his symptoms . With real-time symptom tracking, GI Monitor allows to find the links between dietary or lifestyle choices and symptoms, or between symptoms and treatments that work. It provides functionality to sync the data across multiple platforms and provide printed reports to physicians.
PoopTime
iPhone—4.5 Stars—$0.99
PoopTime allows gamification of the time on the bathroom. PoopTime keeps track of bathroom time and, just for kicks, tells how much money patients earned while sitting there . It even keeps a running total! “Poop facts” and “poop jokes,” plus options for sharing on Facebook and Twitter, make for something rather unique to occupy patients’ bathroom time.
Poo Log
iPhone—3.5 Stars—$0.99
Android—3.6 Stars—$0.99
The app is based on the book, “What’s Your Poo Telling You?” by Josh Richman and Anish Sheth, MD. With a timer, a daily log, and useful graph features, patients can learn from their poo . There’s also a fair amount of trivia, interesting factoids, and useful information. Poo Log is a handy tool with a humorous twist.
myIBD—sickkids’
iPhone—3 Stars—Free
Android—2.6 Stars—Free
The Hospital for Sick Children created this app for patients to get a better handle on symptoms for IBD. It’s fast and easy to record details about symptoms, appetite, and trips to the bathroom . Patients can view their information as text or in graph form at any time. The app is convenient and also includes educational content.
My Pain Diary
iPhone—4.5 Stars—$2.99
Android—4.4 Stars—$4.99
My Pain Diary is a convenient method of logging level of pain at the moment it happens . By keeping track of related events, patients might be able to pinpoint pain triggers and learn which treatments ease your pain. Patients can use this app to find out if their pain is affected by weather, activities, or diet. With color-coded calendars and interactive graphs, they will have more information to go on than ever before.
GI Buddy
iPhone—3.5 Stars—Free
Android—3.2 Stars—Free
Chronic illnesses require lots of cooperation between patients and their doctors . Having the information patients need at their fingertips puts them in a better position to manage their IBD. To address this unmet need, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America developed GI Buddy (www.ccfa.org/gibuddy).
The overarching goals of GI Buddy were to
Provide patients with an interactive tool to monitor their disease management in order to better understand their disease and communicate effectively with their health-care team to make more informed health decisions.
Serve as an empowering resource between patients and their disease to provide hope and encourage them to take action to better manage their disease.
GI Buddy allows users to log many factors that may be impacting their Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis , like symptoms they have experienced, missed doses of treatments, foods they have eaten, and their overall well-being. GI Buddy can be accessed from an Internet desktop portal or by mobile application (iPhone and Android) in order to conveniently input variables in real time (see Fig. 6.3 a, b). Patients must be 13 years or older to utilize GI Buddy .
Fig. 6.3
a, b It show trackers and customizable reports in GIBuddy app (courtesy of Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America)
GI Buddy allows users to
Track symptoms
Stay on top of treatment regimens
Log foods that are eaten
Monitor overall well-being, including stress and exercise
Generate reports to help see trends
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