Symptom tracking in endometriosis using digital technologies: Knowns, unknowns, and future prospects

Area of Science:

• Reproductive medicine
• Digital health
• Pain management

Background:

• Endometriosis is a prevalent chronic pain condition with significant unmet needs in treatment and management.
• Current treatment options for endometriosis-associated pain are limited.
• Digital technologies offer potential for improving chronic pain assessment and management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the potential application of digital technologies for endometriosis symptom tracking and management.
• To discuss how objective, continuous, and holistic symptom data can be collected using digital tools.
• To highlight opportunities for developing decision-support systems for endometriosis care.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on digital technologies in chronic pain management.
• Discussion of how smartphone apps and wearable sensors can be adapted for endometriosis.
• Postulation of future applications based on current technological capabilities.

Main Results:

• Digital technologies can facilitate objective, continuous, and holistic tracking of endometriosis symptoms.
• Pervasive and affordable technologies present opportunities for symptom assessment.
• Potential for developing decision-support tools for healthcare providers and patients.

Conclusions:

• Digital technologies hold significant promise for enhancing endometriosis symptom management.
• These tools can empower patients with endometriosis to make informed choices.
• Further research and development are needed to deploy and evaluate these technologies specifically for endometriosis patients.