Journal My Health – a health and wellness symptom tracking app designed to provide patients and their physicians more complete symptom awareness – has concluded private beta and is now available for use by Long COVID (or Post-acute COVID syndrome) patients.
According to a King’s College study in 2020, 10% to 35% of COVID-19 patients will develop some form of Long COVID and suffer from a wide-ranging list of symptoms, including fatigue, breathlessness, brain fog, anxiety and depression, palpitations and chest pains. Understanding these novel issues is critical to accurate diagnosis and the formulation of treatment plans.
“Long COVID causes turmoil that negatively impacts patients’ quality of life, particularly considering the number of unknowns surrounding this new syndrome. Our goal is to help patients better chronicle their symptoms and triggers so they have a clearer picture of their condition and can make more informed decisions with their healthcare providers with the benefit of personal data.”
— Tracey Welson-Rossman, founder and CEO of Journal My Health
Central Gathering Point
Journal My Health serves as a central gathering point for key patient information. Patients personalize the app by first selecting the symptoms they wish to track, such as fatigue or shortness of breath, and then by identifying the medications or treatments they are employing.
On a daily basis, users input subjective information by gauging the status of their symptoms and recording treatments along with evaluating mood, stress levels and sleep patterns. The app’s Notes section allows patients to chronicle medical appointments, record lifestyle occurrences and detail other relevant observations.
Simultaneously, the app’s health tracker incorporates objective information, such as heart rate, activity and exercise obtained from health tracking smart devices. Even outside environmental factors including temperature, humidity and barometric pressure are incorporated.
Patient data, which is anonymized in the Journal My Health system to protect user privacy, is seamlessly transformed into time-based graphs of symptoms and related inputs. This visualization makes it easier for patients and their providers to identify trends and triggers that may be impacting their condition. Users can then create printable or shareable charts to send to their healthcare team, streamlining the diagnosis and treatment process.
“For physicians, detective work is an essential aspect of our role as diagnostician. Unfortunately, we have an extremely limited amount of time to spend with our patients to gather the necessary clues and to fully absorb each person’s individual experience.
“The benefits and efficacy of health journaling are firmly established, but digital solutions like Journal My Health will make it a more efficient, approachable and widespread practice. This helps both doctors and patients.”
— Marta T. Becker, MD, an ENT specialist and Chief Medical Officer of Journal My Health
Digital Journaling Solution
Currently focused on the pressing needs of Long COVID patients, the Journal My Health app will ultimately serve as a digital journaling solution for a variety of chronic illnesses. Like Long COVID, tracking symptoms alongside the circumstances of daily life can uncover triggers that exacerbate chronic conditions.
The Journal My Health product roadmap includes the addition of symptoms and medications for other chronic conditions, integration with women’s health information, use of pulse ox data and customized reporting options.
“Rather than forgetting key details when I visited my doctor, or neglecting to mention something that seemed unimportant, Journal My Health empowered me to create a detailed, holistic portrait of my health.
“Before using the app, I was recording what I could in a note-taking program, but it was time-consuming and limited. Journal My Health has streamlined the process and greatly expanded my options while simultaneously pulling health data from my smartwatch.”
— Deborah Fields, a beta tester of Journal My Health
Journal My Health is now available from the Apple Store for iOS devices, and the Google Play store for Android devices. Download it now.
This article originally appeared in PT Products Magazine on July 16, 2021, and was written by Deborah Overman.
