The DMKG app as a free, ad-free headache calendar was previously only unlocked for participants of the “Headache Registry” project. Due to high demand, the DMKG has now made the app freely available. The technical and data protection development of the app was carried out by the Institute for Information Systems (iisys) and the Legal Research Group of Hof University of Applied Sciences as well as smartlytic GmbH, a spin-off of Hof University of Applied Sciences in 2017.
Headache disorders such as migraine affect 10-15% of the German population and can lead to considerable impairment in everyday life. There are now good treatment options. A headache calendar is often a great help in planning and monitoring the course of treatment, and in many cases it is even necessary. To enable sufferers to professionally document their headaches, the German Migraine and Headache Society (DMKG) has now made the DMKG app freely available. Versions for Android and iOS (Apple) can be downloaded from the app stores.
Simple electronic headache calendar for personal headache documentation
The DMKG app reminds sufferers to enter once a day. On days with headaches, the app also asks about the severity, duration, other symptoms, and medication taken; the entry is completed in 1-2 min. If you want to document more precisely, you can enter information about preventive medication, menstruation and a free comment. There are clear summaries to display in the app as well as to download. These can be brought to the doctor’s consultation, for example.
Views from the DMKG app. © DMKG 2022
The DMKG app: originally part of the “Headache Registry” project
The DMKG app was previously only available as part of the scientific project “DMKG Headache Registry”(www.kopfschmerzregister.de), and thus only usable by patients of participating physicians. Due to high demand, the DMKG has now decoupled the app from the project and made it freely available as a free, ad-free headache calendar for Android and iOS.
Contribution to headache research
By using the DMKG app, sufferers simultaneously support headache research. The data is transferred pseudonymously to a scientific database and used by the DMKG for scientific evaluations. For example, it can be used to compare different acute medications in terms of their effect.
DMKG and project partners
The content of the app was developed by the DMKG, while the technical and (data protection) legal development was carried out by the Institute for Information Systems (iisys) and the Legal Research Group of Hof University of Applied Sciences and smartlytic GmbH, a company based in Hof that offers IT services in the areas of software development and data analysis. The project is financed by DMKG’s own funds; in the course of the project, financial support has been added by the partner companies Lilly, Novartis, Teva and Lundbeck. Data sovereignty rests solely with DMKG.
Further information: www.kopfschmerzregister.de, www.dmkg.de
Scientific contact and press contact for the DMKG app: PD Dr. Ruth Ruscheweyh, ruth.ruscheweyh@med.uni-muenchen.de
