An “app”, or application, is downloaded by a user to a mobile device, such as a phone. Some “health apps” can help people with a brain injury recover from their injury, when used together with therapy and rehabilitation, but using the right app is important. National Health Service (NHS) specialists and patients in the United Kingdom have partnered to launch the first free app review website – “mytherappy” – to help people with brain injury and stroke find the right app to meet their needs.

Mytherappy recommends apps for improving thinking, communication, emotions and moods, pain, eating and drinking, exercise, relaxing, vision, or using arms and fingers. The website also promotes training opportunities in the United Kingdom for clinicians to learn how to incorporate apps and digital health into rehabilitation.

Health apps are to be used together with therapy or rehabilitation, and are always used towards achieving useful therapeutic goals. Mytherappy is not affiliated with any app developers, but the website offers advice to app developers interested in creating “health apps” for people with brain injury.

For more information, visit the mytherappy website here, or email ndht.mytherappy@nhs.net.