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ResearchKit Receives Thousands of Sign-Ups Following Launch
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So the really educated members of our society tend to choose iOS over Android? I wonder why that would be. Clearly they are the mindless sheeple that we always hear about who buy what they are told to buy, right? The people who never think for themselves and only purchase shiny baubles. Right. Apparently that doesn't hold up to scientific scrutiny.
Haha! Well, I guess if you want to have indigent people included in your medical studies Android will just have to make their own version of ResearchKit.
Well it is open source
The my heart counts app isn't available in the UK. I have a heart condition so would be interested in seeing if it would benefit me or if I would even be eligible. Limiting data to US citizens only is poor practice. As someone who involved in scientific studies (psychology) we know that having as many participants and as much data as possible is only beneficial.
Cue for the Pro-Android platform spec geeks here touting their favorite system's openness and off-topic non-sense.
"But, but, but - too bad unlike Android ... Apple s***s blah, blah ..."
"But, but, but - too bad unlike Android ... Apple s***s blah, blah ..."
Not to rain on your parade (although I find your characterization of a Apple as "compassionate" cute) but I have huge doubts that health kit will make much more than a tiny blip in the post-marketing space (Don't even get me started on using this for gathering registration data for the FDA or EMA)...
IMHO, the problem is not so much data privacy but the data quality as such. No training, no data curation, no nothing --> Garbage in - garbage out. The bias towards higher income and education among Apple users is probably the least of your problems...
They would have to be quite negligent to generalize the results that way. Distinguishing the data through OS platforms (or device types, etc) can be a good way to establish control groups, so the bias is a non-issue.But wouldn't the survey be a little skewed? I mean, don't get me wrong, but iPhone users are a particular kind of group: certain background, enough money to buy iPhones, certain lifestyle... Just saying...
Are you that naive in thinking that they haven't thought of this yet?
A team full of medical doctors, PHDs, analysts, engineers, couldn't have thought.. hmm maybe people want to exit something after they signed up.
But wouldn't the survey be a little skewed? I mean, don't get me wrong, but iPhone users are a particular kind of group: certain background, enough money to buy iPhones, certain lifestyle... Just saying...
The technical term for such unrepresentative samples is 'WEIRD' - western, educated, industrialised, rich & democratic. The point is well taken, but pretty much any survey or study using technology has this kind of problem.
As a neuroscientist, I can see how this could be huge in spite of its limitations. Apple deserves a big pat on the back for even thinking of this. If it is secure, versatile, and robust it could be a game changer in medicine.
But wouldn't the survey be a little skewed? I mean, don't get me wrong, but iPhone users are a particular kind of group: certain background, enough money to buy iPhones, certain lifestyle... Just saying...
It is likely more diverse than you think because people who cannot afford an iPhone but with an iPod Touch installed with iOS 8 can participate as well. And that is why this is open to at least the Android platform. Just basing many Apple fans or iGadget owners here, so much diversity - with their opinions, backgrounds and lifestyles.
I am positive that this has in NO away been developed for the iPhone! This is in my best believe a very interesting and immensely powerful backend developed specifically for the 
Watch that Apple "wanted" to release, but in the end wasn't able to! - a sensor stuffed "armband/Watch"! It was almost a joke to hear the keynote where Research Kit was sold as developed for the iPhone! Research based on human body/health data... for the iPhone! No bloody way!
I'm still waiting for this Watch to be released... and then anWatch will make sense on my wrist!
Watch that Apple "wanted" to release, but in the end wasn't able to! - a sensor stuffed "armband/Watch"! It was almost a joke to hear the keynote where Research Kit was sold as developed for the iPhone! Research based on human body/health data... for the iPhone! No bloody way!I'm still waiting for this Watch to be released... and then an
Watch will make sense on my wrist!
Yeah... thinking about... imagine that if we could capture heart rate changes within the hours before a heart attack? Maybe we could learn to alert people that they should take preventative measures?
I think this is a brilliant move on Apple's part and it's great that they are opening it up so it can take on it's own life and advance with the way the research market needs it to.
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I thought they covered this two ways... one was that it was opt-in... so you would assume "opt-out" too.. and, Apple made it clear all data collected was not tied to any user.
You probably don't know this, but the recruitment of one person for a clinical trial costs about $4000 and every year more people are needed per trial. A typical vaccine for example need about 40.000 subjects before it can be submitted for approval by the FDA or the EMA. Imagine the costs associated with clinical studies. So, many pharmaceutical companies recruit globally, especially in low wage regions.
Another factor is that many studies (for e.g. gene therapy) need to rule out genotypical effects, which basically means that test subjects or patients need to come from different parts of the world.
So yes, there are plenty of reasons why this app should in the future be opened up to the rest of the world.
It just came out. Give things time to improve and scale further to other countries.
Well, there are a few issues with that. But i can imagine that the apps needs to be decently translated in native languages. You can't have people misinterpret questions.
My guess is it starts (as with many developments) in the US but when successful they will roll it out to other countries. In the talk they explicitly spoke about world-wide, it just takes another step.
Anyhow, amazing (although they sure benefit somehow) that they made this available (and open source).
Kudos for
I hope all those "kits" that have no consumer hardware o consumer uses yet, to be like downloadable modules.
Right now they took precious disk space in all iOS devices.
There is no hardware or consumer uses for: carplay, home kit and research kit.
Right now they took precious disk space in all iOS devices.
There is no hardware or consumer uses for: carplay, home kit and research kit.
carplay = yes, alpine and pioneer have models as well as new cars coming out this year and next.
home kit = don't know of any yet. I wish Apple would make an app that integrates with Rachio, Hue, etc so I have one app to do it all.
I agree
I hope apple allows this also for Android too. In this way it will be truly good for humanity.
Go apple make the difference.
I hope apple allows this also for Android too. In this way it will be truly good for humanity.
Go apple make the difference.
Type 1 Diabetics are TICKED
New research app for "diabetics".
Oh, Type 2 diabetes only.
Millions of type 1 diabetics left out.
Guess It'll have to be the InfraV watch for all of us.
New research app for "diabetics".
Oh, Type 2 diabetes only.
Millions of type 1 diabetics left out.
Guess It'll have to be the InfraV watch for all of us.