Monitoring endometriosis symptoms: a systematic review of mobile applications in terms of content, inclusivity and functionality

Seven years is the average time a person with endometriosis must wait between the onset of symptoms and diagnosis. Why is this? Invisibility, and the recurrent minimisation of pain. Monitoring the symptoms of the disease is essential, and mobile apps are flourishing on the market, but how useful are they? While digital tools can easily exclude people, so too can the way symptoms are reported, as they differ from person to person and vary over time. By offering a systematic review of mobile applications for symptom tracking, we will evaluate them in terms of app quality, usability, functionality and inclusivity. We will identify best practices and determine whether a new app needs to be developed. But by addressing endometriosis, this project is already contributing to the visibility of the disease and its inclusion. Indeed, endometriosis is also overlooked by research funding bodies: on the SNSF search engine, the term ‘prostate’ yields 242 research projects, while there are only 9 for endometriosis. The time has therefore come to ensure that our healthcare systems are inclusive, equitable and adapted to the real lives and experiences of the people they seek to serve.