WBUR’s Martha Bebinger reports that two Boston hospitals are among the first users of new Apple software that turns iPhones into tools for medical research:
Massachusetts General Hospital helped develop the tool (called ResearchKit) and is using it to study diabetes. Patients download an app that tracks the impact of diet, movement and medication on blood glucose levels.
Dr. Stanley Shaw, at MGH, says the app helps patients monitor their health while contributing to research.
“It changes from a one-sided exchange to a new culture where they are also benefiting from the study data that they’re personally contributing,” he says.
Shaw says stored data is not linked to a patient’s ID or Apple accounts.