There are no shortage of apps promising to make our lives better. From weight loss to time management to falling asleep faster, you’d be hard pressed to search for an app and not find something. Obviously, just because an app exists doesn’t make it helpful and, especially in the mental health space, some apps can be harmful.

I recently had the pleasure of speaking to one of the founders of the health app, Abridge. Abridge is an app that records your visit with your doctor so that you can listen back later. There tagline says it all, “You record. Your record. Tap the big button and take home your doctor’s advice.”

The concept is simple and is based on what we know about our memories. Basically, we forget most of what people tell us! We focus on the major bits of information, things like the diagnosis, but we are likely to forget smaller bits of information, things like how common the diagnosis may be.

Often, our memories follow our initial feelings. Meaning if something scares us, we are more likely to remember other scary bits of information and forget hopeful or positive bits of information. This can give us an incomplete picture of our health condition and cause unnecessary stress and anxiety.

Consider how the COVID-19 Pandemic and quarantine is impacting our mental health, our emotions, and our outlook on life. With all the stress we are currently under — and the associated trauma — it’s going to be difficult to remember anything that takes place during this time frame, let alone with any accuracy.

How Does The Abridge App Help?

With the abridge app you can replay what actually happen in real time rather than relying on your memory. As an added benefit, you can also replay everything you learned with trusted friends and family – all at your control.

Abridge believes that every patient should have the right to own their health record and the right to record it themselves. Their ambition is to help make health care better and cheaper. Their north star is to create a digital advocate for patients — technology that can have a patient’s back through their health journey. It’s important to note that their website makes it clear that they are not about selling patient data – your information is safe with them.

The Abridge app is available on Google Play (Android) and The App Store (iPhone). You can learn more on their website, www.abridge.com.

After you use the app, drop Abridge an email. In general, the team loves hearing from users and wants to build a product that reflects all of our experiences, needs, and values. In fact, they would love for us to co-create the app and so far, they have been quick to respond to our community’s opinions. You can email them directly at support@abridge.com with your critiques, thoughts, and ideas!

 

Please be aware I was compensated for my time in reviewing and researching The Abridge App. This is an honest review and all opinions are my own. Thank you.

COVID-19, Panic and Mental Illness (Not Crazy Podcast)
Psychological Coronavirus Facts You Should Know (Psych Central Podcast)