The epilepsy self-monitoring app EpSMon is now available to download for free in the UK.
The app was launched in July last year to help to help ‘fill the information gap’ left by NHS funding cuts for GP epilepsy monitoring. Initiated by bereaved families of people who had died from sudden death in epilepsy (SUDEP) and created by a team of partners based at Plymouth University, Cornwall Foundation NHS Trust, Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust and charity SUDEP Action, the app was originally available to download for the nominal sum of £1.49.
However, such has been the level of uptake for the app that it can now be made available free of charge within the UK.
Jane Hanna from SUDEP Action said:
“We want to thank Kt’s Fund, all our supporters who have supported the development of the app and those who paid to download the app for helping us make the app free. We can do more with your help. We hope people with epilepsy will be able to download this important tool that could help save lives. EpSMon has been available for download since July last year for £1.49, but people can now download the app at no cost.”
The charity has also said that if people who paid to download the app would rather choose to receive a refund, they can do so by contacting epsmon@sudep.org.
EpSMon helps people monitor their own epilepsy. It assesses a user’s information against known risk factors that might affect them and offers advice accordingly. Its also encourages people with epilepsy to attend regular reviews. With around 600,000 people living with epilepsy and 87 cases diagnosed every day in the UK, SUDEP Action believes that EpsMon provides vital information that could help people manage their epilepsy more effectively.
Simon Lees, who has epilepsy commented:
"EpSMon is just what I need to monitor my risk in between visits to doctors. It helps me take actions at all times as it measures my own particular risks of epilepsy. It can act as a safety net, being an excellent reminder of the importance of taking medication correctly and seeing my GP on a regular basis."
The app is part of the National Epilepsy Toolkit and has received recognition from the prestigious HSJ Awards. It was also listed amongst prize winning apps in the Guardian and received a great review in the Nursing Standard.
EpSMon was created by a team of partners based at Plymouth University, Cornwall Foundation NHS Trust, Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust and SUDEP Action. The app is a digital version of the SUDEP and Seizure Safety Checklist, a clinical tool designed to help health professionals monitor and discuss their patients’ epilepsy risks and well-being. The Checklist Project was part sponsored by SUDEP Action helped by Kt’s Fund, a community fund set up in memory of Katie Hallet, a 20-year children’s nursing student from Cornwall who died from SUDEP in January 2006 while studying in Bristol.
EpSMon is available on IOS and will be available soon on Android.