Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

HealthKit and the Health app: A game-changer for doctors?

Iltifat Husain, MD
Tech
June 27, 2014
Share
Tweet
Share

health_hero

Several months ago I wrote about how Apple’s upcoming health app had the potential to change public health and could force physicians to adopt mobile.

Recently at WWDC Apple affirmed the rumors when announcing iOS 8, stating the new operating system would have a Health app, and a cloud platform HealthKit.

HealthKit is the developer platform and will be able to collect/aggregate  information from a variety of approved third party devices and apps. This information will then be fed into the user’s Health app. The Health app is what patient’s will see, and promises to keep a constant track of key health metrics.

When Apple made the announcement at WWDC, they gave an example of a third party blood pressure tracking device connecting to a patient’s Health app via the HealthKit platform to store their blood pressure reading. If your blood pressure reading is high, Apple stated that your physician would be notified. Apple went on to say they are working closely with the Mayo Clinic to make this type of interaction a reality.

In the article I wrote months ago, I ended with the following conclusion:

In one fell swoop, Apple has the ability to add a comprehensive uniform health tracking app to tens of millions of iOS devices. This could give us the opportunity to change patient behavior in a way never thought imaginable before.

I wrote how physicians would be forced to understand how mobile apps can be used to improve health because for the first time there would be a uniform mobile platform for tracking health metrics in a meticulous way.

So what does this mean for physicians? There are two main takeaways:

1. Patients will be sharing more information with you. My fellow physicians need to understand that more patients are going to be showing them their smartphones and the health metrics they are tracking, and physicians are going to need to understand how to utilize this data to improve patient health. For the part about understanding how to utilize these apps, iMedicalApps will obviously be here to show you.

2. You have the ability to empower patients like never before. I prescribe health apps to my patients all the time in the ER. Many of the health apps I prescribe are related to weight loss. I encourage patients to download pedometer apps, especially to iPhone 5s users due its M7 activity sensor.

Usually I have to show patients how to use the app, and I’m no longer surprised when they don’t even know how to download new apps to their phone — but understand how to use the email and texting capabilities of their phones. Because the health app is a native app, you are assured a patient with an iPhone (running iOS 8) will have the ability to track key health metrics. You can use this ability to empower the patient to be a co-manger in their disease pathology, and give them more ownership of their health.

One point needs to be very clear: We’re still in the early stages of HealthKit and the Health app. For these apps to work and truly make a difference from a public health standpoint, we need to see a lot more in terms of the health care partnerships Apple will make, the type of scrutiny Apple will apply to third party apps, and how much of a silo Apple will end up being with the metrics they collect. I thought it was laughable when Apple said there were too many silos of health data and HealthKit would help reduce this. The only silo Apple is happy with is its own — but with hundreds of millions of iOS devices sold, that’s one heck of a silo.

Iltifat Husain is founder and editor, iMedicalApps.com, where this article originally appeared.  He can be reached on Twitter @IltifatMD.

ADVERTISEMENT

Prev

A love-hate relationship with practice guidelines

June 27, 2014 Kevin 4
…
Next

What does it take for a cancer researcher to know cancer?

June 27, 2014 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Mobile health

Post navigation

< Previous Post
A love-hate relationship with practice guidelines
Next Post >
What does it take for a cancer researcher to know cancer?

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Iltifat Husain, MD

  • How an iPhone improved patient care in the ICU

    Iltifat Husain, MD
  • Medical conversations are happening on Twitter, not Facebook

    Iltifat Husain, MD
  • Why you shouldn’t give medical advice on Twitter

    Iltifat Husain, MD

More in Tech

  • Why interoperability is key to achieving the quintuple aim in health care

    Steven Lane, MD
  • How Mark Twain would dismantle today’s flawed medical AI

    Neil Baum, MD and Mark Ibsen, MD
  • 9 domains that will define the future of medical education

    Harvey Castro, MD, MBA
  • Key strategies for smooth EHR transitions in health care

    Sandra Johnson
  • Why flashy AI tools won’t fix health care without real infrastructure

    David Carmouche, MD
  • Why innovation in health care starts with bold thinking

    Miguel Villagra, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

      Steven J. Katz, DDS | Conditions
    • When did we start treating our lives like trauma?

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • Why male fertility needs to be part of every health conversation

      Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian | Conditions
    • How home-based AI can reduce health inequities in underserved communities [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Inside human trafficking: a guide to recognizing and preventing it [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Graduating from medical school without family: a story of strength and survival

      Anonymous | Education
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • My journey from misdiagnosis to living fully with APBD

      Jeff Cooper | Conditions
    • Addressing the physician shortage: How AI can help, not replace

      Amelia Mercado | Tech
    • Why does rifaximin cost 95 percent more in the U.S. than in Asia?

      Jai Kumar, MD, Brian Nohomovich, DO, PhD and Leonid Shamban, DO | Meds
  • Recent Posts

    • How home-based AI can reduce health inequities in underserved communities [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Adriana Smith’s story: a medical tragedy under heartbeat laws

      Nicole M. King, MD | Physician
    • What if medicine had an exit interview?

      Lynn McComas, DNP, ANP-C | Conditions
    • Why U.S. health care pricing is so confusing—and how to fix it

      Ashish Mandavia, MD | Physician
    • From survival to sovereignty: What 35 years in the ER taught me about identity, mortality, and redemption

      Kenneth Ro, MD | Physician
    • When doctors forget how to examine: the danger of lost clinical skills

      Mike Stillman, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 5 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

      Steven J. Katz, DDS | Conditions
    • When did we start treating our lives like trauma?

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • Why male fertility needs to be part of every health conversation

      Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian | Conditions
    • How home-based AI can reduce health inequities in underserved communities [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Inside human trafficking: a guide to recognizing and preventing it [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Graduating from medical school without family: a story of strength and survival

      Anonymous | Education
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • My journey from misdiagnosis to living fully with APBD

      Jeff Cooper | Conditions
    • Addressing the physician shortage: How AI can help, not replace

      Amelia Mercado | Tech
    • Why does rifaximin cost 95 percent more in the U.S. than in Asia?

      Jai Kumar, MD, Brian Nohomovich, DO, PhD and Leonid Shamban, DO | Meds
  • Recent Posts

    • How home-based AI can reduce health inequities in underserved communities [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Adriana Smith’s story: a medical tragedy under heartbeat laws

      Nicole M. King, MD | Physician
    • What if medicine had an exit interview?

      Lynn McComas, DNP, ANP-C | Conditions
    • Why U.S. health care pricing is so confusing—and how to fix it

      Ashish Mandavia, MD | Physician
    • From survival to sovereignty: What 35 years in the ER taught me about identity, mortality, and redemption

      Kenneth Ro, MD | Physician
    • When doctors forget how to examine: the danger of lost clinical skills

      Mike Stillman, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

HealthKit and the Health app: A game-changer for doctors?
5 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...