IBD iPhone application helps Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis patients

A US company called WellApps have launched an iPhone application to help people with (IBD) Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis provide accurate symptom data to their doctors. GI Monitor was developed by an 18-year Crohn's patient.

Following a recent Crohn's flare up 34-year old Brett Shamosh decided to use technology to help fellow IBD patients. He visited New York digestive disease specialist, Bruce Yaffe, M. D., for treatment then worked with Dr. Yaffe to understand what information helped him make treatment decisions. Says Mr. Shamosh, "The idea is not to replace a doctor's diagnosis, but rather to help the doctor make better informed decisions. With so much going on in my life, it is difficult to recall exactly how I was feeling at a particular time and provide my doctor with accurate data about my symptoms. This is the problem I was trying to solve."

GI Monitor allows patients to easily log the frequency of bowel movements, consistency and blood level of stool, and pain/stress levels. In addition, the patient can keep a record of medications and dosages prescribed. All of this information is kept in detailed logs on the patient's iPhone and is calculated into "My Status", which reveals how the patient is feeling on a simple scale of 1-10. Reports from any date range can be emailed directly to a doctor, or any concerned mother, right from the patient's iPhone with the click of a button. The application is currently available in iTunes for $4.99 with a release for BlackBerry devices coming soon.