A collaboration between clinicians, the NHS and epilepsy charity SUDEP Action today comes to fruition with the launch of a new smartphone app. The app is designed to help you monitor your own epilepsy
The smartphone app is called the Epilepsy Self Monitor – or EpSMon. It has been developed by an impressive collaboration of various individuals and organisations.
These include:
Clinicians
People with epilepsy
Health technology information experts
Plymouth University
Cornwall Partnership NHS Trust
Royal Cornwall Hospital NHS Trust and
SUDEP Action
The app is designed as an automatic way of monitoring health and wellbeing in people with epilepsy between their appointments with medical professionals. It assesses your personal information against known risk factors that might affect you in one of five categories. These include your seizures and your mental health, for instance.
Every three months, the app will ask the user questions that have traditionally formed part of GP consultations. These include questions about seizures and overall well being, and when a person last had a medical appointment about their epilepsy.
Smartphone and tablet: When the user enters these pieces of information, the app assesses health and wellbeing and offers advice accordingly. For instance, the app may say: “Book an epilepsy review with your GP [family doctor].”
It is hoped that the app will encourage people with epilepsy to have more regular medical reviews. This can lead to getting better treatment outcomes, reduced accidents and an overall increase in health and well being.
During consultations, the app can also help to inform your medical professional. This encourages a more productive appointment and, ultimately, leads to better medical care and reduction of risk.
At the moment, EpSMon is only available for iPhone. Android versions will be available later in the year. To download the app, visit the iTunes store. Alternatively, look at a preview for more information. The price of the download may vary depending which country you live in.
