APPLE ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF FIRST CAREKIT APPS FOR iPHONE

Apple today announced the release of the first iPhone apps that take advantage of its open-source CareKit platform. There are four titles available right now, all of which allow patients to share their data with healthcare professionals.

Announced during the iPhone SE event last month, CareKit signals Apple’s first real step into healthcare. By connecting iPhone users with doctors, nurses, and other professionals, it’s more than just a useful platform for health and fitness tracking.


Rather than just seeing you data and sharing it across apps, then — which is already available with HealthKit — CareKit makes it available to those who are helping you with your condition. You can share things like activity, weight, and even calorie intake.

CareKit currently consists of four modules that developers can use inside their apps. One is called Care Card, and it lets professionals provide patients with a list of recovery or treatment tasks, which they can check off once they’ve been completed.

Another module is the Symptom and Measurement Tracker, which is where patients can make a note of their symptoms or describe what kind of day they’ve had, and this can then be seen by their doctor. The other two modules let patients connect with healthcare professionals.

Apple is making the CareKit framework available to all developers today, but some got early access to it, so there are four titles already available with CareKit integration, including:

• One Drop:  Lets users with diabetes track important metrics, such as glucose levels, and share their data. Can also be used to track symptoms, like hunger and dizziness, and to share health reports with doctors.
• Glow Nurture and Glow Baby: These apps can be used during pregnancy and throughout a baby’s first year to track and record growth and development. Users can also share their baby’s progress with doctors, midwives, and other family members.
• Start: Lets users with depression share progress and side effects reports and their PHQ-9 score with their doctors.

As you would expect, Apple has strict rules and guidelines for CareKit, which prevent developers from sharing any of your data with third-parties. That means you can use CareKit apps with peace of mind, knowing none of your information will be shared.

Apple will also reject apps that provide diagnosis and treatment advice if they haven’t been approved by the FDA.

You can expect many more CareKit-compatible apps to hit the App Store soon. In the meantime, be sure to checkout those above if they can help you.

[Apple via Engadget]

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