When Apple announced iOS 8 last year, they also announced their new HealthKit framework which basically allowed fitness apps and devices to collect and store your biometrics, which in turn could be accessed via the Health app and displayed all within a single app. The data could also be used by doctors to check on your vitals remotely.
As it stands HealthKit has been trialled by various health professionals in universities, but it seems that its use has started to spread to hospitals. According to a report from Reuters, they have reached out 23 of the top hospitals in the country and 14 of them have revealed that they have rolled out a pilot program that takes advantage of Apple’s HealthKit.
Through HealthKit, doctors are able to monitor patients with chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension, along with their blood pressure, weight, and even heart rate. By keeping an eye on these vitals remotely, it could allow doctors to detect when something is wrong and take action before it becomes too serious.
According to Chief Clinical Transformation Officer Dr. Richard Milani at the Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans, “If we had more data, like daily weights, we could give the patient a call before they need to be hospitalized.” Some hospitals have also expressed their interest in trying Google Fit which is basically Google’s answer to Apple’s HealthKit.