Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) and Ecological Momentary Intervention (EMI)

Abstract

Recently, the Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA), a real-time symptom-recording method used in everyday life, has advanced the field of psychosomatic and behavioral medicine. This manuscript provides an overview of the basic concepts of EMA, its clinical applications, and Ecological Momentary Intervention (EMI), an intervention method that utilizes EMA data. For example, studies using EMA in patients with tension-type headaches have shown that psychological stress precedes headache exacerbations. Additionally, research on patients with type 2 diabetes revealed a positive correlation between psychological stress and increased caloric intake from snacking. Furthermore, an intervention study using EMI found improvements in caloric intake and weight following a six-month intervention with an automatic calorie calculation application. The use of machine learning has expanded, and new developments in personalized medicine are anticipated.