Duke researchers develop mHealth app to guide multiple sclerosis care

A research team from Durham, N.C.-based Duke Health created a free iPhone app to monitor the progression of multiple sclerosis, the Durham Herald-Sun reports.

The app, called MS Mosaic, aims to address issues physicians experience while attempting to treat patients with MS, an autoimmune disease. Symptoms vary widely between patients, and there's not a lab test to determine how well a patient is responding to treatment, according to the Durham Herald-Sun.

"MS is difficult to manage because so many things can influence your day-to-day experience," Lee Hartsell, MD, a neurologist at Duke Health and assistant professor of neurology at Duke University School of Medicine, told the Durham Herald-Sun. "Genetics, stress, infections, even the outside temperature can have a direct effect on symptoms."

To address this challenge, Dr. Hartsell and Katherine Heller, PhD, an assistant professor in the department of statistical science at Duke University, developed an app that collects daily and weekly information about patient symptoms and medications. The app also utilizes performance tests and the iPhone's built-in sensors to gather data.

The goal of the project is to deliver this information to each patient's physician to inform more personalized treatments. "We want to see how things are going even when you're not in front of a doctor," Dr. Heller told the Durham Herald-Sun.

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