Apple has announced CareKit, It is an open-source software development framework for medical care apps. Here’s what CareKit is, what it means that for both app developers and iPhone and Apple Watch owners, and why you must care. plus the first CareKit apps are here!
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At first, not much. The clue is the suffix Kit like Apple’s HealthKit, CarKit, HomeKit and ResearchKit, CareKit could be a platform that app developers can use to make new offerings rather than a product in itself. ‘Kit’ is an abbreviation of software developer kit, or SDK, which is what frameworks like this are known as more generally.
As a member of the general public and a user of Apple’s products, you will not use CareKit in the usual sense however within the near future those with specific medical or care needs may well find themselves using third-party software designed using it.
Apple sees a huge opportunity to connect patients, doctors, and caregivers using mobile technology. Its flagship devices, like iPhone and Apple Watch, are continuously collecting health info using sensor-based technology. but the next step is to bring this information into the hands of a care team, together with doctors, nurses, health coaches, and caregivers.
Apple’s CareKit service, that is available today via Github’s open source community, is designed to form it easier for developers to do just that. Developers can use CareKit to assist patients to collect health information, manage their symptoms, and share a report with their care team–all via a mobile phone.
The iPhone maker has kept CareKit under wraps since the service was unveiled in March. however its CareKit team has been quietly working with 3 startups that received early access to the code One Drop, an app for diabetes management Glow, maker of reproductive health apps and Iodine, a medication management app for individuals with depression.
we have a tendency to had about a month to play with CareKit, says Iodine founder and CEO Thomas Goetz. “It has been particularly useful for us to slot in an important context in an approach that makes sense to patients, like our trend information on what they can expect from an antidepressant.
Goetz says his team opted to rip and replace its existing code in cases where they preferred the CareKit user experience. One example is a particularly nifty module known as Connect, that makes it simple for patients to share a PDF health report via fax, email, or SMS.
Four CareKit apps are available as of nowadays
Glow Nurture is a pregnancy tracker that allows an expectant mother to log progress and obtain info on what to expect when. The app is free, however, a subscription is needed to unlock full functionality.
Glow Baby takes over from Nurture when the baby is born, following everything from feed schedules to growth charts, and is likewise a freemium app.
One Drop is a diabetes management app that gives one-touch logging of glucose, food, meds, and activity. It additionally syncs data from Bluetooth-enabled hand-held blood glucose monitors and provides reminders when meds are due. It’s a free app, with Apple Watch support.
Start is a depression-management app that provides testing and progress-tracking to assist determine the effectiveness of meds. It additionally provides meds reminders and side-effect logging. The app is free.
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