Keeping chronic health issues at bay can be complex and require patients to track their symptoms and treatment. You know what could make that tracking much easier? A mobile app.

That’s why the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) recently released My IBD Manager, a digital tracking tool designed to help the roughly 1.6 million U.S patients who are struggling with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and the doctors who treat them. This will be followed by the launch of an online clinical platform for healthcare professionals called Ask AGA: IBD.

The two offerings will work together to help improve the provider/patient relationship, as well as to put IBD-related resources within shouting distance of the public at large, explained James Lord, M.D., Ph.D., the AGA medical advisor in charge of the two tools.

“Understanding and monitoring symptoms is a significant challenge, and people living with IBD are often faced with an overabundance of resources,” Lord explained in a news release. “Our goal is to support patients in better understanding their IBD symptoms, and in communicating the full scope of their experiences with their healthcare providers.”

My IBD Manager includes tracking tools for treatment, symptoms, and dieting; the ability to journal fatigue and moods; patient-education offerings on IBD-related topics; and gamification functionalities to encourage consistent use of the app. When Ask AGA: IBD goes online, patients will be able to share the collected data from the app with their provider, allowing for joint decision-making.

“The patient application couples helpful IBD-related information and resources from AGA with tools that guide patients through monitoring the various ways that IBD may impact their lives,” Lord added.

The tools were produced collaboratively with the help of the vendors @Point of Care and StayWell, as well as the support of Janssen. The My IBD Manager app is available on iOS and will soon be on Android, while Ask AGA: IBD will be available on AGA’s website.

(Pixabay/Associations Now illustration)