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Apps That Can Help You Manage Your Condition
5 min read
If you are living with multiple sclerosis (MS) and looking for an app to assist you, you have a lot of options to choose from. A simple search on Google Play or the Apple App Store for “MS apps” can result in over 1,000 hits. Once you filter out the non-English and non-MS specific apps, you’ll still have around 100 to explore. So, how do you determine which one is best for you?
First, it’s crucial to determine what type of information you are seeking the most. Are you interested in MS diagnosis and treatment, MS tests, or MS self-management? Research indicates that MS mobile apps can empower and assist you in adhering to your treatment plan, and sometimes even provide valuable insights to your healthcare provider.
Prior to downloading an app, consider how you intend to utilize it. Will it be for casual use, or do you want it to serve as a tool to facilitate treatment discussions with your doctor? If the latter is the case, it is wise to check if your doctor has any recommendations for useful apps.
MS apps are typically developed with significant patient input, so the features should be appealing to you. However, the information may not always be suitable for sharing with your doctor.
According to James Bowen, MD, medical director of the Multiple Sclerosis Center at Swedish Neuroscience Institute, what patients think is valuable to doctors is often different than what’s actually valuable to doctors. For instance, an app asking patients daily how they feel may not provide actionable information. Instead, doctors require validated outcomes for various symptoms, such as fatigue.
For example, My MS Manager, an app developed by the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA), includes measurement scales, including a fatigue scale, that were validated under Bowen’s guidance.
Some apps, like the one from MSAA, can generate reports on various metrics and send them to your doctor. While this could facilitate sharing updates with your doctor more frequently, it is important to ensure that your doctor’s office is capable and willing to receive such reports.
MS apps can offer a plethora of information and useful tools for managing the disease, but you may also want an app that focuses on other aspects of life with MS.
Deborah Backus, PhD, director of multiple sclerosis research at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, suggests that people with MS often use apps as memory aids to help them remember things. Therefore, a symptom tracker or an app to help you remember appointments and medication schedules may be beneficial, particularly if you are experiencing cognitive issues that affect your memory.