HEARD - a smart symptom tracking prototype Demo

HERD: A Tool for Tracking and Communicating GI Symptoms

Dr. Courtney Franco introduces HERD—“Helping Everyone Articulate and Record Digestive Symptoms”—a human-centered prototype designed to help young adults track gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms and communicate them to healthcare providers.

The project responds to rising rates of early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC) among young adults, who may develop concerning symptoms before routine screening begins at age 45. HERD aims to support EOCRC education, earlier detection, and timely diagnosis. It was co-created by the Edge Research Lab with input from computer scientists, physicians, and young adults.

The team emphasizes that HERD is intended to support patient–physician communication, not simply symptom tracking.

Prototype Features

• Set up an account: Users complete a brief intake form.
• Log symptoms: The homepage offers options for recording symptoms related to bowel habits, energy, and fatigue.
  • The bowel movement log includes details identified as important by an EOCRC physician, such as stool caliber, blood, and color.
• Explore health data with an AI-powered chatbot: Users can look for patterns and receive evidence-based recommendations.
• Learn about health topics: A learning module offers lessons and activities that can be updated based on user preferences.
• Review and share health data: Users can access a summarized health report and export it as a document to share with healthcare providers.

Together, these features are intended to help users record daily GI symptoms, notice changes in bowel movements, and create AI-generated summaries to bring to clinical appointments.

Early Feedback and Next Steps

In preliminary user testing, 83% of participants said the features seemed useful and that they could envision incorporating the app into their lives. Participants also gave feedback on the prototype’s flow and user experience and suggested additional features.

The team has submitted an R21 grant to develop HERD into a functional, clinically validated intervention. Planned work includes:

• Asking clinicians to evaluate the accuracy and clinical relevance of AI-generated symptom reports.
• Having young adults test and refine the prototype’s usability and engagement.
• Conducting a two-week feasibility pilot with young adult Mayo Clinic Florida patients who have an upcoming GI consultation.
• Examining whether the tool improves users’ confidence in tracking and communicating symptoms, as groundwork for a future efficacy trial.

The long-term goal is to integrate HERD into clinical practice as a scalable pre-consultation tool. More broadly, the project aims to help symptomatic young adults track, understand, and communicate cancer-relevant GI symptoms, potentially supporting more timely diagnostic evaluation.

Speakers and Contributors

• Dr. Courtney Franco — Clinical translational scientist in the Edge Research Lab at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida.
• Anjali — Research assistant with the Edge Lab who describes the prototype’s features.
• Other contributors: The Edge team; computer scientists, physicians, and young adults involved in co-creating the prototype; and an EOCRC physician who helped identify symptoms to track.