Chronic Hives is an app developed by the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) for iOS, Android, and the web for patients with chronic urticaria. The goal of the app is to allow patients to better understand, treat, and monitor their condition. From the main menu of the app, patients can learn more about hives, set medication reminders, record symptoms, find local dermatologists or allergists/immunologists, set appointment reminders, and find patient support groups. Visually the app is well designed with crisp buttons and a blue color scheme consistent with the AAD’s main website.
Patient education content on the mobile version is limited, providing only a general overview of hives with one picture. The web version, however, contains additional articles on acute vs chronic urticaria, causes of urticaria, and provides additional pictures for viewing. Along with patient education, the web app provides health provider-oriented information including the differential diagnosis of urticaria, steps in a diagnostic workup, treatment options, and even ICD-10 coding. While some of this is more suited for professionals, patients who desire a more holistic understanding of their diagnosis might appreciate this additional information. It would be nice to see the mobile app include the level of detail and information featured in the web app. Â
Medication reminders allow patients to easily set reminders using the phones’ built-in alarm system. Reminders can be set in intervals of 2, 3, 4, 6, or 12 hours, multiple times per day from a daily start time. The reminder system works well if used appropriately, however, if you ask the app to remind you every 12 hours, 3 times per day (an impossible task), the app will force close. While many medications for chronic hives require at least twice-daily treatments, users cannot set once-daily reminders, for example, if they were prescribed once-daily corticosteroids. Users should be aware of the notification settings they have on their phones alarm system including alert tones and vibrations. Other apps, such as MyPso by LEO Pharma, implement a slightly less intrusive reminder system that utilizes the phones notification bar rather than the alarm system; however, both systems function well if appropriately customized.
Symptom diary allows patients to record symptoms, triggers, and a photo of their hives for later review. This feature worked as a daily log of symptoms, rather than a timeline of all pictures/symptoms. To access each day, the user must open each individual log without the ability to scroll between photos for comparision. Also, photos in the reports were small thumbnails and could not be made larger or opened for full screen view from within the app, making tracking progress more challenging. Along with logging photos, patients can complete a dermatology quality of life survey presumably for research purposes.
The Appointments section allows the user to find a dermatologist or allergist/immunologist from the AAD or American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology (AAAAI) member databases. While this is effective for patients who are comfortable with any specialist, there is no way to sort providers by clinical interest or ratings. Two of the 3 dermatologists closest to my location happened to be Mohs surgeons who may not be the ideal physicians to treat hives. Also, the physician listing does not include patient ratings or any other information regarding the practice outside of basic contact information. It would be nice to have more information about the potential physicians rather than just have the Google-search-esque featuring a list of physicians. The app does offer a novel feature of allowing patients to set reminders for appointment times via the phones’ calendar system.
Patient support provides links to various professional organizations including the AAD, AAAAI, the Facebook support group for those with chronic urticaria, and a link to www.patientslikeme.com, which contains a collection of patient opinions on common symptoms and anecdotal efficacy of various treatments. These links are a nice inclusion for patients to have a central source of resources they can turn to for additional support.
Overall, the Chronic Hives app developed by the AAD is a well-designed and functional tool for patients with chronic urticaria (Table). Dermatologists and allergists/immunologists with patients coping with this taxing illness can feel comfortable recommending this app to patients. Basic patient education information can better inform patients. The symptom tracker may allow patients to feel more involved with their care and to see improvements over time. Medication reminders aim to improve medication adherence. Patients can find specialists or set reminders for their existing appointments. Dermatology patients with other chronic conditions including acne, eczema, and rosacea may benefit from similar apps in the future.
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Mr Hawkins is a fourth-year medical student at Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC, and the developer of numerous web and mobile health care applications at Wake Forest School of Medicine, including DermPatientEd.com.
Disclosure: Mr Hawkins is co-owner of the noncommercial website DermPatientEd.com and co-developer of SweatAndHair.com.
Chronic Hives is an app developed by the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) for iOS, Android, and the web for patients with chronic urticaria. The goal of the app is to allow patients to better understand, treat, and monitor their condition. From the main menu of the app, patients can learn more about hives, set medication reminders, record symptoms, find local dermatologists or allergists/immunologists, set appointment reminders, and find patient support groups. Visually the app is well designed with crisp buttons and a blue color scheme consistent with the AAD’s main website.
Patient education content on the mobile version is limited, providing only a general overview of hives with one picture. The web version, however, contains additional articles on acute vs chronic urticaria, causes of urticaria, and provides additional pictures for viewing. Along with patient education, the web app provides health provider-oriented information including the differential diagnosis of urticaria, steps in a diagnostic workup, treatment options, and even ICD-10 coding. While some of this is more suited for professionals, patients who desire a more holistic understanding of their diagnosis might appreciate this additional information. It would be nice to see the mobile app include the level of detail and information featured in the web app. Â
Medication reminders allow patients to easily set reminders using the phones’ built-in alarm system. Reminders can be set in intervals of 2, 3, 4, 6, or 12 hours, multiple times per day from a daily start time. The reminder system works well if used appropriately, however, if you ask the app to remind you every 12 hours, 3 times per day (an impossible task), the app will force close. While many medications for chronic hives require at least twice-daily treatments, users cannot set once-daily reminders, for example, if they were prescribed once-daily corticosteroids. Users should be aware of the notification settings they have on their phones alarm system including alert tones and vibrations. Other apps, such as MyPso by LEO Pharma, implement a slightly less intrusive reminder system that utilizes the phones notification bar rather than the alarm system; however, both systems function well if appropriately customized.
Symptom diary allows patients to record symptoms, triggers, and a photo of their hives for later review. This feature worked as a daily log of symptoms, rather than a timeline of all pictures/symptoms. To access each day, the user must open each individual log without the ability to scroll between photos for comparision. Also, photos in the reports were small thumbnails and could not be made larger or opened for full screen view from within the app, making tracking progress more challenging. Along with logging photos, patients can complete a dermatology quality of life survey presumably for research purposes.
The Appointments section allows the user to find a dermatologist or allergist/immunologist from the AAD or American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology (AAAAI) member databases. While this is effective for patients who are comfortable with any specialist, there is no way to sort providers by clinical interest or ratings. Two of the 3 dermatologists closest to my location happened to be Mohs surgeons who may not be the ideal physicians to treat hives. Also, the physician listing does not include patient ratings or any other information regarding the practice outside of basic contact information. It would be nice to have more information about the potential physicians rather than just have the Google-search-esque featuring a list of physicians. The app does offer a novel feature of allowing patients to set reminders for appointment times via the phones’ calendar system.
Patient support provides links to various professional organizations including the AAD, AAAAI, the Facebook support group for those with chronic urticaria, and a link to www.patientslikeme.com, which contains a collection of patient opinions on common symptoms and anecdotal efficacy of various treatments. These links are a nice inclusion for patients to have a central source of resources they can turn to for additional support.
Overall, the Chronic Hives app developed by the AAD is a well-designed and functional tool for patients with chronic urticaria (Table). Dermatologists and allergists/immunologists with patients coping with this taxing illness can feel comfortable recommending this app to patients. Basic patient education information can better inform patients. The symptom tracker may allow patients to feel more involved with their care and to see improvements over time. Medication reminders aim to improve medication adherence. Patients can find specialists or set reminders for their existing appointments. Dermatology patients with other chronic conditions including acne, eczema, and rosacea may benefit from similar apps in the future.
Â
Mr Hawkins is a fourth-year medical student at Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC, and the developer of numerous web and mobile health care applications at Wake Forest School of Medicine, including DermPatientEd.com.
Disclosure: Mr Hawkins is co-owner of the noncommercial website DermPatientEd.com and co-developer of SweatAndHair.com.
Chronic Hives is an app developed by the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) for iOS, Android, and the web for patients with chronic urticaria. The goal of the app is to allow patients to better understand, treat, and monitor their condition. From the main menu of the app, patients can learn more about hives, set medication reminders, record symptoms, find local dermatologists or allergists/immunologists, set appointment reminders, and find patient support groups. Visually the app is well designed with crisp buttons and a blue color scheme consistent with the AAD’s main website.
Patient education content on the mobile version is limited, providing only a general overview of hives with one picture. The web version, however, contains additional articles on acute vs chronic urticaria, causes of urticaria, and provides additional pictures for viewing. Along with patient education, the web app provides health provider-oriented information including the differential diagnosis of urticaria, steps in a diagnostic workup, treatment options, and even ICD-10 coding. While some of this is more suited for professionals, patients who desire a more holistic understanding of their diagnosis might appreciate this additional information. It would be nice to see the mobile app include the level of detail and information featured in the web app. Â
Medication reminders allow patients to easily set reminders using the phones’ built-in alarm system. Reminders can be set in intervals of 2, 3, 4, 6, or 12 hours, multiple times per day from a daily start time. The reminder system works well if used appropriately, however, if you ask the app to remind you every 12 hours, 3 times per day (an impossible task), the app will force close. While many medications for chronic hives require at least twice-daily treatments, users cannot set once-daily reminders, for example, if they were prescribed once-daily corticosteroids. Users should be aware of the notification settings they have on their phones alarm system including alert tones and vibrations. Other apps, such as MyPso by LEO Pharma, implement a slightly less intrusive reminder system that utilizes the phones notification bar rather than the alarm system; however, both systems function well if appropriately customized.
Symptom diary allows patients to record symptoms, triggers, and a photo of their hives for later review. This feature worked as a daily log of symptoms, rather than a timeline of all pictures/symptoms. To access each day, the user must open each individual log without the ability to scroll between photos for comparision. Also, photos in the reports were small thumbnails and could not be made larger or opened for full screen view from within the app, making tracking progress more challenging. Along with logging photos, patients can complete a dermatology quality of life survey presumably for research purposes.
The Appointments section allows the user to find a dermatologist or allergist/immunologist from the AAD or American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology (AAAAI) member databases. While this is effective for patients who are comfortable with any specialist, there is no way to sort providers by clinical interest or ratings. Two of the 3 dermatologists closest to my location happened to be Mohs surgeons who may not be the ideal physicians to treat hives. Also, the physician listing does not include patient ratings or any other information regarding the practice outside of basic contact information. It would be nice to have more information about the potential physicians rather than just have the Google-search-esque featuring a list of physicians. The app does offer a novel feature of allowing patients to set reminders for appointment times via the phones’ calendar system.
Patient support provides links to various professional organizations including the AAD, AAAAI, the Facebook support group for those with chronic urticaria, and a link to www.patientslikeme.com, which contains a collection of patient opinions on common symptoms and anecdotal efficacy of various treatments. These links are a nice inclusion for patients to have a central source of resources they can turn to for additional support.
Overall, the Chronic Hives app developed by the AAD is a well-designed and functional tool for patients with chronic urticaria (Table). Dermatologists and allergists/immunologists with patients coping with this taxing illness can feel comfortable recommending this app to patients. Basic patient education information can better inform patients. The symptom tracker may allow patients to feel more involved with their care and to see improvements over time. Medication reminders aim to improve medication adherence. Patients can find specialists or set reminders for their existing appointments. Dermatology patients with other chronic conditions including acne, eczema, and rosacea may benefit from similar apps in the future.
Â
Mr Hawkins is a fourth-year medical student at Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC, and the developer of numerous web and mobile health care applications at Wake Forest School of Medicine, including DermPatientEd.com.
Disclosure: Mr Hawkins is co-owner of the noncommercial website DermPatientEd.com and co-developer of SweatAndHair.com.
