Dive Brief:
- Apple introduced CareKit on Monday, an open-source app development platform that allows people to track their own medical care.
- First up is an app for people with Parkinson’s disease. Patients can use it to track the progress of their disease and communicate with their providers.
- The tool is an offshoot of Apple’s ResearchKit for scientists and researchers.
Dive Insight:
In announcing CareKit, Apple COO Jeff Williams said the goal was to use the same tools that advance medical research to help people enhance their care, Healthcare IT News reported.
“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,” Williams said in a prepared statement. “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.”
Emory University, Johns Hopkins University, Parkinson’s Disease Care New York, Stanford University, the University of California at San Francisco and the University of Rochester have signed on to start using the Parkinson’s app as a way to improve discussions doctors and patients have about treatment.
A second app will help patients comply with postsurgical recovery plans.
CareKit will hit the market sometime in April.