In addition to new iPhones and iPads, Apple on Monday also announced a new software framework called CareKit. The initiative is an extension to ResearchKit, which launched last year to give hospitals and University’s a way to conduct broad medical studies using iOS devices.
CareKit uses similar principles to help individuals keep track of care plans, as well as monitor their symptoms and medication. The goal is to provide insights that help people better understand their health, which may encourage them to take a more active role in their wellbeing.
“We’re thrilled with the profound impact ResearchKit has already had on the pace and scale of conducting medical research, and have realized that many of the same principles could help with individual care,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer. “We believe that giving individuals the tools to understand what is happening with their health is incredibly powerful, and apps designed using CareKit make this a reality by empowering people to take a more active role in their care.”
“With ResearchKit, we quickly realized the power of mobile apps for running inexpensive, high-quality clinical studies with unprecedented reach,” said Ray Dorsey, MD, David M. Levy Professor of Neurology at the University of Rochester Medical Center. “We hope that CareKit will help us close the gap between our research findings and how we care for our Parkinson’s patients day-to-day. It’s opening up a whole new opportunity for the democratization of research and medicine.”
CareKit will be released in April as an open source framework. Developers will be able to take advantage of four modules: Care Card, a tracker for care plans and action items; Symptom and Measurement Tracker; Insight Dashboard; and Connect, which lets you share your information.
Source: Apple