The Apple ReaserchKit turns regular iPhone owners into participants to a world-wide tech spread medical research. The software includes apps which propose a series of minor tasks which are furthermore gathered by a team of specialists, who eventually analyze the data received from millions of people. Probably most importantly, the personal details of those who choose to be part of the project will not be shared (not even with researchers) unless desired by the user. With ResearchKit, anyone has the possibility to help diagnose or determine pattern and particular manifestations of diseases like Parkinson, cardiovascular disease, asthma or breast cancer.
ResearchKit permits medical researchers to create diagnostic apps and some of those were presented by Apple Senior Vice President of Operations Jeff Williams earlier today. One would be the mPower app, crated along with prestigious institutions like University of Rochester, Xuanwu Hospital at Capital Medical University in Beijing, and Sage Bionetworks and which helps investigate Parkinson’s disease. The mPower iPhone app is a mixture of surveys and practical small tasks proposed to people who enroll in the project. The app tracks traits like dexterity, balance or walking pace in order to eventually analyze the data gathered from all users and improve PD’s diagnosis process and overall available information, with special focus on particular cases or manifestations.
Anyone willing to embrace the idea of the ResearchKit must firstly download the mPower mobile app (for example), which will then help connect personal symptoms with a ‘’virtual database’’. Before actually participating to the research, one must read a list of advantages and disadvantages of joining and then consent to enrolling. Once that mandatory step is accomplished, the user will be made to solve daily simple tasks like walking, taping or balancing. Along with the practical side, the participants will also be given a set of questions tackling on subjects like their eating habits, sleep schedule or other related topics. The ResearchKit app can also be used as a personal health track monitor and results or information given during the participation in the project can be discussed even with the personal physician of the user.
Last but not least, the data gathered by each and every person using ResearchKit and joining apps will be monitored by researchers who will thus be able to make breakthroughs in any medical field which currently poses various unanswered questions.