Innovation Future Specialist
Introduction: Psoriatic Arthritis App
This prototype app allows people to log their wellbeing and psoriatic arthritis symptoms. The aim is to improve their overall wellbeing by helping them and their healthcare professionals to spot factors related to their symptoms and adopt better solutions. It supports a range of options to satisfy all users.
Protoype
You may use this, but be aware that it is only a prototype - no warranty or guaranteed fitness for purpose. You may use this to develop your own applications - provided you acknowledge this source.
The App
The prototype consists of an intelligent app that allows you to quickly enter overall ratings, and provides the opportunity to elaborate with specific details, reasons and questions.
Note: The app may respond with different follow up questions depending on how you rate your overall wellbeing and ability.
The prototype saves your data to your device (the local storage space in your web browser). The design of the prototype allows it to readily support saving the data to a web server (e.g. an electronic health record system) with a few minor modifications.
Viewing Saved Data
The PsA Saved Data page lists the records saved by the user, along with averages for wellbeing and physical ability. There is an option to show these records graphically, which makes it easy for the user and healthcare professionals to spot trends in wellbeing and physical ability. Clicking on an item of interest in the graphical view shows the details of the underlying record.
An example data set has been included (based on an hypothetical user).
Good Practice
This web app approach is based on good practice in web development and uses industry standard components (HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript (for client side interactivity)). Consequently, it supports all types of users and provides accessibility and multi-language support. It should work on all modern web browsers on smartphones, tablets and computers. For those that wish to use pen and paper a draft printable form is available too.
Development Options
The ratings fields used in the prototype currently support four values: 0 to 3 (very poor to good). This approach was chosen based on research, good practice, and the need to keep the interface quick and easy to use, so that users regularly use the app. However, if desired, the range of values can be extended. For example an intermediate value could be inserted between the current values, giving a total of seven values (0 to 6). Similarly, ten values (or more) could readily be supported.
Similarly, additional fields can be easily added to the interface. For example, selected fields from the RAPID3 or SF-36 forms could be easily inserted. [Note of caution: if the interface becomes too complex then users might be less willing to use it regularly.]
In the details section of the app, fields might be added for the following: inflammatory pain; mechanical pain; fatigue; itching; and aspects of the mind (e.g. concentration, memory, and mood).
The prototype's algorithm and ability could be enhanced. For example, it could provide the following:
» context sensitive help
» advice and guidance, and
» motivational tips and personalised goals.
Healthcare professionals could select which fields are recommended for completion by the patient, set mandatory fields, add references to guidance notes, and add recommendations and goals. These settings could be saved as generic templates and/or specific settings for each patient.
If the app, or a specific deployment of it, were to be used for medical research and/or with a third party artificial intelligence (machine learning) system then additional fields and extended value ranges could be worthwhile. Such an approach could be a source of big data for an AI system.
A version of this prototype could be produced to create a diagnostic app that diagnoses if people have psoriatic arthritis. Like the five question screening tool / PASE questionnaire, the solution could be a simple question and answer app (with a simple embedded algorithm), or a more detailed approach could be used that draws upon a third party AI system.
Advice and support is available to help your developers turn this prototype into a production version that is deployed in your preferred environment.
Please contact the specialist to discuss development and deployment options.
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