7 HealthKit " Must Knows"

Transcription

1 7 HealthKit " Must Knows"

2 Anything Apple releases is bound to be eagerly awaited for, talked about, dissected by industry experts and Apple aficionados alike. HealthKit is no exception. With the release of ios8 and HealthKit, Apple has made its foray into the world of healthcare. Personal wellness, increased physician-patient interaction and streamlined health data exchange are all under the spotlight and slated to thrive with the introduction of Health and HealthKit.

3 1 Health - The Gateway

4 Health - The Gateway A centralized dashboard to organize and track the user s health data, Health is a convenient way for users to access all of their health metrics ranging from steps taken to calories burned. With the ability to track data ranging from fitness, nutrition, sleep and vitals, Health is an enabler of constant health monitoring and personal wellness management. With the advent of numerous consumer fitness and health trackers, the volume of patient generated data is gradually increasing. With HealthKit added to this, this data, becomes even more valuable- because it can be shared. Users can choose to (with permission, of course) share this data with their physicians, hospital EHR systems, phramacy apps and more. Physicians and caregivers can now view this data and receive alerts and notifications if any values cross certain thresholds. Health, if diligently used has the potential to be a serious part of a person s wellness regime and can lead to decreased costs, hospital visits and more relevant health data exchanges.

5 2 Health - Its all about the user

6 Health - Its all about the user Apple has taken a page out of the patient centric approach in healthcare and has translated that into Health. Yes, Health is all about the user! Health empowers the user with data that she would like to gather and track about one s own health. The significant hardware and software upgrades that accompany the latest release of Apple has ironed out many difficulties and made collecting health data and managing personal health records a pleasant and easy user experience. But, what data does Health collate? Here are a few interesting ones. Health app can access the M8 motion coprocessor (available in the iphone6 and iphone6 Plus) to let the app track movement - for example, steps taken. Building upon the capabilities of the M7 coprocessor ( available in IPhone 5s), the new M8 can distinguish between activities such as cycling and running, use the barometer to measure air pressure and calculate distance and elevation. Health can also display data collected from various third-party fitness and health tracking apps ranging from sleep pattern analyzers to caffeine tracking apps. Health also features a host of capabilities designed to help users monitor existing conditions. For instance, reading from medical devices such as spirometers typically used by people with asthma. Health is highly customizable and can aid healthy lifestyle choices by personalizing data to be tracked - be it inhaler usage or vitmain intake. From tracking falls in elderly patients to maintaining calorie logs for professional athletes, Health has been designed to leverage smartphone ubiquity and push personal wellness regimes to the 21st century.

7 3 Integration Capabilities

8 Integration capabilities One of the most striking features of HealthKit is it s capability to integrate with different systems. And what enables HealthKit for integration? A versatile bundle of ready-to-use APIs. The APIs give HealthKit the ability to connect with various healthcare apps and wearables. Any data exchange with HealthKit will be carried out via these APIs. Imagine the possibilities - from hospital EMR systems, pharmacy apps, diagnostic labs, home healthcare apps to wearables and medical devices.

9 Integration capabilities So, could this data exchange be controlled? How will HealthKit behave in instances where it is connected to more than one app that monitors the same vital? In cases like these, the user could authorize the app of his choice as the primary source of data. And the HealthKit APIs could be tuned to recognize this primary app if HealthKit is connected to two different apps/wearable apps monitoring the same vitals. Further, powered by a statistics functions library, the APIs are capable of assimilating readings from an app based on timelines. So when Health pulls data from HealthKit, the data will be formatted in a timely manner and presented in a very easy-to-read format.

10 4 Data Aggregation

11 Data Aggregation HealthKit is powered by an underlying database. Data from any app/device that comes to HealthKit is stored in this dedicated database. It enables HealthKit as a one-stop repository for all health related information of an individual. It not only stores data, it can share data with other apps and systems based on user consent. Apart from the data gathering and data sharing features of HealthKit, what makes it remarkable is it s ability to aggregate data over a period of time and push it to Health to be presented in a graphical format. This opens door to analyzing patterns and studying trends of an individual s health. Lets take the example of a chronic diabetic patient. Every single piece of data from calorie intake, to daily glucose readings to exercise patterns can be recorded chronologically, analyzed and shared with the physician or caregiver. This analysis will offer great insights which could be translated into relevant recommendations and can lead to the patient taking better care of her health.

12 5 Security and Privacy

13 Security and Privacy Security and privacy have always been the defining factors of any kind of healthcare data exchange. HealthKit makes it mandatory for the user to give express consent to any kind of data sharing'.the user has complete control over what data gets shared with other apps, devices, wearables and hospital systems. Coupled with Touch ID, this forms the starting point for secure health data exchange.

14 Security and Privacy With a whole bunch of Federal regulations to conform, Apple has so far made the following announcements regarding the privacy and security of Health and HealthKit: All health data will be stored in the device and not in the icloud. Any stored health data will be encrypted. Users can decide which apps can access their health data and any health data exchange will be strictly based on user s permissions. Any app/device that intends to establish data exchange with HealthKit should have a well thought out privacy policy in place for itself that is inline with the Federal Regulations. Apple will reject Health apps used for diagnoses or treatment advice if they don't have written regulatory approval. Developers can share information collected through Health apps for medical research with user consent and strictly not use this data for advertising In case of lost phone instances, the phone could be remotely turned on in to what Apple calls the Lost Mode so that the data never gets shared or the phone memory could be wiped off remotely.

15 6 Partnerships and Competitors

16 Partnerships and Competitors Apple s HealthKit is not a novel idea. There have been predecessors in the market that have tried to connect smartphones more intimately with the user s health and fitness programs. The notable ones are Microsoft and Google. Microsoft HealthVault gives users one place to access all of their health information online. With the number of apps that help users reach health and fitness goals increasing, HealthVault connected apps offer a convenient way to store data in HealthVault. Many HealthVault compatible devices like pedometers and blood pressure monitors ensure that the data is uploaded directly onto HealthVault. The user can also manage the health of a child, parent or family member. Another big player is Google Fit. It is an open platform that lets users track all their health metrics from sleep, exercise, steps taken and more.while there is no dedicated app like Health, Fit is primarily a platform that helps device manufacturers ensure compatibility and interface with the Android OS. Nike, RunKeeper, Adidas, Withings are all on board with this initiative.

17 Partnerships and Competitors While they appear similar at first blush, success for these initiatives will depend on how each company is able to get more device manufacturers on board and how innovative developers can get with health data and how third party apps can best leverage the capabilities of these platforms. And this is where Apple has the edge. Apple knows best the relevance of partnerships. Its alliance with industry bigwigs from IBM to Nike, Epic and Mayo Clinic has given Apple a headstart in the conservative healthcare industry. Duke University and Stanford University Hospital are working on patient trials involving HealthKit APIs. Dexcom, Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins, Allscripts, Mount Sinai, Kaiser Permanente are all in talks to incorporate HealthKit. These partnerships are what will ultimately push Apple s Health into the limelight and usher in increased usage.

18 7 Possibilities and Potential

19 Possibilities and Potential Where is HealthKit headed? Has it got the potential to disrupt the conventional healthcare ecosystem? Apple s diligence in building partnerships with every player in the healthcare ecosystem like major hospitals, healthcare ISVs, medical devices and wearable companies itself is a proof of it s desire to push HealthKit towards the center of the healthcare ecosystems. And with the release of the much awaited Apple Watch that can track activities and read heart rates, Apple further emphasizes on its focus on the integrated personal health management powered by HealthKit.

20 Possibilities and Potential As the wearable industry tries to establish a stronger hold on our lives with devices already reading our sleep patterns to caffeine intake to devices that are capable of detecting early breast cancer, the research further promises inbody wearables including nano particles that can be directly injected into our blood stream. So the the day when these particles would aid localized timely delivery of drugs inside human body is not very far away. As these revolutionary changes take over healthcare industry, there are other challenges that it deals with like the ever rising healthcare costs and the need to better serve an increasingly aging population. In any case, Apple s well thought out venture into the healthcare industry with the right framework to manage personal health couldn t have been more timely.

21 Apple has built a comprehensive framework that is powerful, flexible and opens to every healthcare player to leverage its potential. It is now upto these players to build and grow this ecosystem.

22 BTC is a leading provider of custom web and mobile development services. Our adaptive approach, laser focus on quality and adherence to budgets has made us the go to partner for a decade. We have delivered user centric, scalable solutions for clients ranging from innovative startups to Fortune 500 Companies. Boston Technology Corporation info@boston-technology.com