Apple’s application programming interface (API) HealthKit was finally implemented with the release of its latest mobile software update, iOS 8.0.2, on Thursday. The API allows software developers to work on apps that will be fully compatible with Apple’s own Health app.
HealthKit is a great opportunity for custom application development companies, and it also has the potential to change the health care marketplace with the way it gathers data in real time and facilitates the exchange of information. As Gizmodo reports, users whose health care providers employ Epic Systems software can now send their information directly to their electronic health records. In the future, this service will expand to other providers as well, as talks between Apple and several hospitals are reportedly ongoing.
“This could eliminate the hassle of getting data from patients, who want to give it to us,” said Ricky Bloomfield, a pediatrician and director of mobile strategy at Duke University, to Reuters. “HealthKit removes some of the error from patients’ manually entering their data.”
With the recently released iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus and the upcoming Apple Watch, users will be able to track their physical activity via GPS, with apps able to calculate, for instance, how many calories have been burned based on whether the wearer was running, walking or riding a bicycle. The smartwatch will also have the capability to directly monitor vital signs.
These innovations have the potential to be true game changers in the world of healthcare data management. Physicians will have instant and easy access to their patients’ updated health information, which will make it easier for them to make accurate assessments and diagnoses.