ReviewJMIR mHealth and uHealth2014
Commercially available mobile phone headache diary apps: a systematic review.
Review in JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04828941 (A 26-week Randomized Clinical Trial of an Electronic Headache Diary in Migraine Patients), which is not on this map. Cited by 50 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
A 26-week Randomized Clinical Trial of an Electronic Headache Diary in Migraine Patients
Who cites it
50 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Evaluation of Heart Failure Apps to Promote Self-Care: Systematic App Search.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2019Pooled it
- The App Behavior Change Scale: Creation of a Scale to Assess the Potential of Apps to Promote Behavior Change.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2019Pooled it
- The role of interdisciplinary research team in the impact of health apps in health and computer science publications: a systematic review.Biomedical engineering online · 2016Pooled it
- Electronic behavioral interventions for headache: a systematic review.The journal of headache and pain · 2016Pooled it
- A Prescribed Digital Health App and Number of Migraine Days: A Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA network open · 2025Trial
- User Design and Experience Preferences in a Novel Smartphone Application for Migraine Management: A Think Aloud Study of the RELAXaHEAD Application.Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.) · 2019Trial
- Analysis of Trigger Factors in Episodic Migraineurs Using a Smartphone Headache Diary Applications.PloS one · 2016Trial
- Telemedical communication patterns in myasthenia gravis in a remote monitoring study.Neurological research and practice · 2026Article
- Daily Reminders Increase Adherence to an Electronic Headache Diary (DMKG-App): Retrospective Longitudinal Cohort Study.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2026Observational
- Evaluating migraine tracking methods: a study of headache diary use in Lithuania.Frontiers in neurology · 2026Article
- Cognitive Training Mobile Apps for Older Adults With Cognitive Impairment: App Store Search and Quality Evaluation.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2025Article
- The biopsychosocial perspective on designing mobile health apps for self-management of chronic headaches.Health systems (Basingstoke, England) · 2025Article
- Influence of next-generation artificial intelligence on headache research, diagnosis and treatment: the junior editorial board members' vision - part 1.The journal of headache and pain · 2024Review
- Association Between Electronic Diary-Rated Sleep, Mood, Energy, and Stress With Incident Headache in a Community-Based Sample.Neurology · 2024Observational
- Beyond Audio-Video Telehealth: Perspective on the Current State and Future Directions of Digital Neurological Care in the United States.JMIR neurotechnology · 2024Article
- Validation of a Digital Headache Calendar at a Tertiary Referral Center.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- An Online Psychological Program for Adolescents and Young Adults With Headaches: Iterative Design and Rapid Usability Testing.JMIR human factors · 2023Article
- Headache providers' perspectives of headache diaries in the era of increasing technology use: a qualitative study.Frontiers in neurology · 2023Article
- Development of a text message-based headache diary in adolescents and children.Cephalalgia : an international journal of headache · 2022Article
- Eating for 2: A Systematic Review of Dutch App Stores for Apps Promoting a Healthy Diet during Pregnancy.Current developments in nutrition · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundHeadache diaries are often used by headache sufferers to self-monitor headaches. With advances in mobile technology, mobile electronic diary apps are becoming increasingly common.
objectiveThis review aims to identify and evaluate all commercially available mobile headache diary apps for the two most popular mobile phone platforms, iOS and Android.
methodsThe authors developed a priori a set of 7 criteria that define an ideal headache diary app intended to help headache sufferers better understand and manage their headaches, while providing relevant data to health professionals. The app criteria were intended as minimum requirements for an acceptable headache diary app that could be prescribed by health care professionals. Each app was evaluated and scored against each criterion.
resultsOf the 38 apps identified, none of the apps met all 7 app criteria. The 3 highest scoring apps, meeting 5 of the app criteria, were iHeadache (developed by Better QOL), ecoHeadache (developed by ecoTouchMedia), and Headache Diary Pro (developed by Froggyware). Only 18% of the apps were created with scientific or clinical headache expertise and none of the apps reported on psychometric properties.
conclusionsDespite the growing market and demand, there is a concerning lack of scientific expertise and evidence base associated with headache diary apps.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.