Why your patients need the Arthritis Tracker app

“How have you been feeling since your last appointment?”.

This is a question that is now being asked with an ever-increasing distance between each appointment, and for healthcare professionals, we understand that the time you get with your patients needs to be maximised.

That’s where our free Arthritis Tracker App steps in! Instead of your patients answering with the typical response of “I’ve been okay,” and then spending the rest of the appointment scrambling to think of all that has occurred over the last few months, the Arthritis Tracker App allows for a more accurate report to be fed back on your patient’s wellbeing.

The range of features on the app allow the user to rate their daily symptoms, use a body map to pinpoint their pain and severity – which can then be collated into a simple summary of recent pain, sore joints, medication side effects, activity levels, quality of sleep and emotions.

With this information, you can better tailor the appointments to your patient's specific needs, and potentially identify trends in their symptoms, and ultimately, the best course of action.

The Arthritis Tracker app was created with young people in mind, and its development was brought about with the contributions of over 100 young people living with arthritis/MSK conditions, and healthcare professionals.

This app has allowed patients to talk more openly and confidently with their healthcare professionals, and we want to see this positive effect more widely spread.

We are always looking for ways the app can improve and invite you, as healthcare professionals, parents/carers, and people with arthritis to try the app and let us know your thoughts.

"The app is great - I am actively encouraging young people in my clinic to use it. It has huge potential to enhance communication between young people and health professionals, allowing us to better understand the impact arthritis is having on the young person's life and then to treat them more effectively." (Dr Janet McDonagh, Paediatric & Adolescent Rheumatologist, Royal Manchester Children's Hospital)

“For patient-facing apps to be successful and meet patients' needs, their development should incorporate patient input at all stages. An example of this is the Arthritis Tracker app, which was developed by Versus Arthritis, specifically for younger patients and involved patient input throughout its development. The app allows users to track their symptoms, provides tips for disease management, and facilitates connections to other young people with arthritis.”
(The Lancet Rheumatology)

Find out more about the Arthritis Tracker app and see how it can improve your patient–clinician interactions.