App maps long term conditions

A new mobile app has been launched to make it easier for people with long-term conditions to log their symptoms and medications.

The Health Mapper app was inspired by its creator’s experience of watching his father with Parkinson’s disease manually take note of his condition.

The app allows users to track single of multiple health conditions and record any symptoms, medications, measurements or lifestyle variables like sleep, diet, or exercise.

They can then create and export health reports and customised charts, sharing the information with their doctor via email or the app.

Health Mapper also integrates with Apple’s HealthKit platform, allowing health data to be sent to and from other compatible health apps and devices.

Stuart Wakeford, co-founder of digital health design consultancy and app developer Design and Prosper, said the idea came after speaking to his father Alan.

He had been preparing written reports on his health to show his doctor how his Parkinson's had developed since his last appointment.

“By creating a health report for his consultant, Dad found there was a great deal more time in his appointment for asking questions and discussing the future.

“We’ve built Health Mapper to help others quickly and easily create health reports so they too can get more from their time with their doctor, whilst also gaining perspective on their health.”

The app was developed over eight months with a team of NHS doctors and patients. It has been downloaded more than 8,000 times since launching.

It comes with 30 pre-set health conditions to be tracked, including depression, asthma, diabetes and migraines.

During testing, 40% of users tracked more than two conditions, with users creating 100 new conditions themselves. Health Mapper can be downloaded for free on Apple’s app store.