Technology Review Assignment
Mobile App: Migraine Buddy
Migraine is the most common headache diagnosis in children. The prevalence of migraines increase from 3% in children age 3 to 7 years to 4-11% in children age 7 to 11 and 8-23% in adolescence. Children with migraine average twice as many days lost from school as those without migraine.
A migraine is a severe, pulsatile headache that can last anywhere from 4 to 72 hours and is often associated with nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light/sound, and/or several other neurological disturbances (changes in vision, smell, etc.). A family history is common and the episode is often aggravated by activity and alleviated by rest/sleep.
Although migraines can be debilitating and interfere with a child’s learning through missed school days, they can also be well managed if precipitating factors can be identified and reduced, if not eliminated. Once a migraine headache is suspected and diagnosed, one of the most important tasks for a child and his/her family is to characterize the episodes in a journal to be brought back at the next clinic visit. This often becomes difficult for children and their parents, as it is difficult to recall all the details that may contribute to and characterize an episode, including intensity, location, triggers, symptoms and other salient details.
Singapore-based healthcare startup Healint has released Migraine Buddy, an app that migraine sufferers can use to keep a comprehensive record of their symptoms, and dashboard with data that doctors can reference during checkups. When a migraine occurs, users can open the app and record what they were doing before the onset, symptoms, treatments, location of pain, and medications. Reports can be generated and emailed to doctors to them a better understanding of what triggers the migraines, as well as the most effective treatments for them.
Although this app is designed for the general adult population, the platform is simple enough for adolescence to use as a tool to empower self-care. Although parents are often held responsible for promoting, protecting and managing their child’s health, it is a challenging reality with other competing responsibilities and barriers that may include limited health literacy. Health literacy refers to the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions.
As children grow and develop their identities and personal agency, the app can be a tool that gives a child with disabling migraines some control and ownership over their own health. These skills contribute to the development of their health literacy, a skill that is difficult for nearly half of American adults.
In terms of areas for improvement, I would like to see a more educational component built into this app. Users and their parents are often counseled in clinic about migraines, but not all that is discussed during a visit will be retained. Hence, having an educational tab that may explain migraines in simple language and how certain triggers may contribute to exacerbating episodes will motivate users to adhere to app usage. Additionally, migraines can be isolating, especially for children who find them disabling. Hence, having a support group in which they can connect with peers suffering from migraines may help them socially and psychologically. A third component I would have liked to see in this app is the ability to synchronize the data with a parent’s iPhone so parents can also work with their children in shared management.
