Can symptom tracking apps help people manage their arthritis?

With smartphones now an integral part of our lives, and free apps readily available to help us track and manage everything from our money and social lives to diet and exercise, it’s vital we invest in research exploring how technology can help to improve treatment and care for people with arthritis of all ages.Two pilot studies, both supported by funding from Arthritis Research UK, have worked closely with people with inflammatory arthritis to design, develop and test apps to help with symptom tracking and monitoring. Positive feedback from patients suggests apps have potential to help people with arthritis to better understand and manage their condition. The accurate and detailed data collected by an app also allows healthcare professionals to personalise treatment and care and could offer researchers vital insight needed to improve our understanding of arthritis.Remote Monitoring of Rheumatoid Arthritis (REMORA) Researchers at the University of Manchester have created a smartphone app to help people with rheumatoid arthritis monitor symptoms. The two-year REMORA study is exploring how this app can help people to self-manage their arthritis, doctors to give better care and researchers to understand more about the causes and frequency of disease flares. Professor Will Dixon, Director of the Arthritis Research UK Centre for Epidemiology, explains: "For most people with rheumatoid arthritis clinic appointments are months apart. As healthcare professionals wanting to ...
Source: Arthritis Research UK - Category: Rheumatology Source Type: news