APPLE’S RESEARCH APP AND HEALTHCARE AMBITIONS

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Apple’s Research App will allow anyone to opt into research studies and may help the company cement its place in the health ecosystem in the long run. The new app is a part of Apple’s big push into healthcare. Researchers have made no secret that they see big opportunities to learn about human health through all the data being collected by technology devices, such as Apple’s iPhone or Apple Watch. But rather than doing one-off studies, which Apple has done in the past, the Research App allows the company to operate multiple studies at once for a variety of organizations.

In their report 'Everybody’s Business', the WHO touches on the fact that people’s health is no longer solely outsourced to professionals, but it is up to the individual to be responsible for it. This means making the right lifestyle choices, and allowing technology and data to help transform the way we treat personal health and interact with healthcare systems. This crossover between lifestyle and medicine is crucial if the concept of connected health is to succeed. While digital healthcare solutions are not intended to fully replace doctors, who will remain playing a central role in health cycle, it shall be seen as another elementary part of the healthcare supply-chain and customer well-being. 

In Apple’s case, the new app is a gateway for the company to better understand how its devices make sense as health tools. For now there are three studies available. The Women’s health study will last at least 10 years and look for possible correlations between menstrual cycles and a variety of women’s health issues. These include osteoporosis, endometriosis, menopause, uterine cancer, breast cancer, and, if you agree to include Apple Watch data, cardiovascular disease. On the other hand, the heart and mobility study requires an Apple Watch. The device will track activity levels and periodically ask participants questions about their health, like “Do you have difficulty walking up stairs?” or “Does it take you a long time to stand up after you’ve been sitting down?” The study is expected to last five years and aims to unearth early warning signs of chronic disease like atrial fibrillation, heart disease, and loss of mobility. The hearing study will only be two years. This study only requires an iPhone which will log environmental sound and it will be logging decibel levels. If a high decibel level is detected, the app will serve participants a questionnaire about what kinds of sounds they were exposed to and for how long.

Apple is still identifying its role is in the field of consumer health. Last year, the Food and Drug Administration cleared the Apple Watch’s electrocardiogram and a feature that flags irregular heartbeats. However, in giving the watch clearance as a medical device, the FDA explicitly stated that these features should not be used as a diagnostic tool or even as a management tool for people with known heart problems like atrial fibrillation.