We’ve all seen those simple graphics used on the news during the weather segment. A big sun, raindrops falling out of the sky, or maybe a thunderbolt ripping through a cloud. They are quick and easy snapshots of the weather. Now, doctors at Sunnybrook are using a similar approach to check up on their patients with mood disorders.
It’s all part of a new study that has patients filling out electronic mood journals on their handheld devices. In less than one minute per day, patients track important indicators of how they are feeling and how their medication is working, like their mood and appetite. That information is then immediately sent back to the patient’s doctor, creating an ongoing graph for each patient. This graph is like those weather graphics: in one picture, physicians get a snapshot of how things are going. The study hopes to determine if this better quality information will equate to better patient outcomes.
It’s also a cool spin on a mood journal, which doctors say is one of the most powerful ways to track if a patient’s treatment is working. Not many people carry around a pen and paper anymore. With just a few clicks and drags, patients in this study can input the information at their fingertips.
Patients are still being enrolled into the study, called Physician Access to Telemetry from Handheld – Mood Disorders (PATH-MOD). If you want more detail, contact Felicia Zhang at 416-528-0396.
