Is Apple’s “Research Kit” a Clinical Trial Game Changer?
Apple’s March 09, 2015 Announcement did not disappoint, especially to us in the clinical research field. Today, Apple again managed to tell us what we want before we even know we want it, but researchers are asking: Is Apple’s “Research Kit” a Clinical Trial Game Changer?
Research Kit is a prime example. This open source software will allow researchers to collect valuable health data from over seven hundred million iOS users. Users may use E-consenting technology and share their health data with researchers, while keeping it private from Apple.
Apple’s formula for success so far has been in the products ability to give the control to the people. They provide the platform and the people provide the value. We can see this every day as new and useful apps hit the app store. There is no reason to believe that Apple’s focus on medical research will be any different.
While the Apple Watch is not yet mainstream, the same freedom given to app developers will be a major ingredient in the changing landscape of medical research and the development of innovative medications and treatments. As developers continue to see opportunities in the technology, new ways to monitor other health conditions are on the horizon. With the release of Research Kit, information can be shared in real time with researchers around the world. This is a major breakthrough.
While clinical trial recruitment has consistently remained an obstacle to medical innovation, we wonder how this new technology could be used to increase awareness of clinical trial opportunities, recruit participants and maintain an open dialogue between clinicians and volunteers. Study volunteers have consistently expressed a desire to be informed about the progress of clinical research and most wish to maintain the partnership with their researchers. TrialSphere’s goal has been to foster this interactivity and keep volunteers and researchers connected. With the news of Research Kit’s release, we wonder what your thoughts are on how we can use this to ramp up recruitment and retention rates in clinical trials.
Chime in below!