Use of Seizure Apps During the Pandemic, Need for Data: Jessica Fesler, MD, MEd

WATCH TIME: 2 minutes

"Now that we’re doing virtual visits, if we could integrate all of that together and make them talk to each other. That would be a step in the right direction.”

Social isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the use of smartphone devices for hundreds of millions of people; however, if this increase is parallel for those with epilepsy who utilize seizure apps remains to be seen. There are several of these apps on the market, but there is no app that serves as a go-to or is used most often by the epilepsy community. Jessica Fesler, MD, MEd, staff epileptologist at Cleveland Clinic’s Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, and an expert on these applications, claimed that it’s safe to assume the use of them has gone up, but the lack of integration with the healthcare system as a whole is concerning.

Fesler delivered a speech at the 2021 American Epilepsy Society (AES) annual meeting, December 3-7, in Chicago, Illinois, on potential these apps have along with the barriers that hold them back. She stated that while there have not been a lot of data specifically focusing on how the role of these apps have changed, the need to shift focus and create apps that communicate well with patients and providers is even more crucial. She sat down at AES 2021 to provide her thoughts on the usage of these apps during the pandemic and how companies should shift their attention as telehealth continues to grow.