Two new studies reveal smart phone apps that may help people detect epileptic seizures and get better stroke treatment.
In the first study, an epilepsy app was designed to help non-doctors determine if a person is having an epileptic seizure. To create the app, researchers asked 67 people questions about their seizures, using the most helpful answers. It was then tested on 132 people in India and Nepal, and was informative for 87 percent of the testers and 96 percent agreed with the doctor’s diagnosis.
This app will help health professionals evaluate and make the diagnosis, especially when doctors are not available, study author Victor Patterson, MD, a neurologist from Belfast, Northern Ireland, was quoted as saying.
For the second study, researchers looked at a stroke app which makes it more efficient for doctors to manage care for acute stroke patients.
Those who treat acute stroke patients often need to accomplish many tasks simultaneously, the app creator Claude Nguyen, MD, of the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, was quoted as saying. Not only do we need to deliver acute therapies such as intravenous tPA both safely and expeditiously, but also evaluate them for clinical trials, and mobilize appropriate resources toward these goals.
For more information, go to: https://www.aan.com/PressRoom/Home/PressRelease/1245
SOURCE: American Academy of Neurology, February 2014
