The effect of symptom-tracking apps on symptom reporting.

A period-monitoring app with a symptom tracker may increase the reporting of period symptoms. This effect does not appear to generalize to broader symptom reporting. Further research is needed to support these findings and to examine the impact of symptom-tracking apps on daily functioning and health anxiety. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? The experience of transient symptoms is common in day-to-day life. These symptoms often do not have an underlying cause or are a sign of illness. Actively tracking symptoms has been shown to result in greater symptom reporting, symptom severity, and slower recovery from injury. The use of health apps is increasing, with a common feature being symptom tracking. Menstrual-monitoring apps, in particular, frequently require users to track symptoms. What does this study add? Using a menstrual-monitoring app with a symptom tracker for 4 months increases the number of period-specific symptoms reported compared a basic calendar app. A greater proportion of people were now classified as high period symptom reporters after using the symptom-tracking app. These effects do not seem to generalize to broader non-specific symptom reporting.