Priceless
This is a best in class chronic pain app that could use a higher level of detail but serves the purpose well. Its an ideal option for tracking symptoms, coping with pain, and reporting useful information to your doctor.
-The notifications are gentle, but could use a better reminder function (if not submitted a daily log by a certain time, have an alarm go off? Multiple reminders?) Having more reminders through the day could be great, record personal status throughout the day and find patterns that cant be seen with single entry days.
-The goals are very broad, and could use a tracker to them too, as things like rest may be hard to achieve or exercise may be more difficult at some points. Just check-marking it by the day feels arduous and futile, when there is SO much useful information that can be derived from these goals. (The best function of a daily goal is following up on it, seeing improvements, and gaining confidence.) As a chronic pain sufferer, setting daily and weekly goals and recording achievements is perhaps one of my biggest motivators. Being able to mark improvements or identify issues to invest time in is a great benefit. Maybe allow us to type in a specific personal goal to the broad goal, instead of "exercise indoors" one could track "avoiding elevator, taking stairs instead".
-A Sleep and a Mood tracker would be beneficial when comparing days of pain levels.
-The Track pain option needs the most improvement, while you can select multiple symptoms, you can only set a pain level for the overall feeling. When detailing multiple parts or locations of the body that hurt at various levels, overall tracking is too vague. Adding a visual aid to mark up physical locations of pain on ones body would extremely help.
-Tracking sensations would be another huge benefit for going to the doctors, "how does your pain feel?" can be a difficult question in many situations. Sensations like: Sharp, stinging, tingling, electric, dull, throbbing, shooting, etc... tracking those and their locations to have a census over months of records versus the clouded memory of months of pain and trying to think of and describe accurately on the spot.
- Conditions selection could be supplemented with UnDiagnosed Chronic Pain to be a bit more accepting of the second-rate work some doctors do. In many cases I have seen its easier to diagnose what a person "doesnt" have versus finding an answer. Once a person is UnDiagnosed, the information needed is multiplied, while the doctors effort is dramatically reduced.
- A doctors note section would be nice, record questions to ask the doctor on the next visit, and a place to record the notes from the doctor during the visit. This would be priceless information for patients who must use Walk-in clinics and dont have a family doctor.
Finally, a BIG Thank You to WebMD for putting together a GREAT Chronic Pain Personal Assistant, and to let it be free, youre AMAZING. 5 Stars! I hope Apple features this app as there are many people who wouldnt think of using their iDevice for this purpose and could really benefit from it.
PiXeL_Frog about
WebMD Pain Coach, v1.1