Japan’s Keio University, COPD Foundation launch ResearchKit studies

StopCOPD app

In the past week, we caught two different ResearchKit studies – one from Japan-based Keio University School of Medicine and the other from COPD Foundation. The former is looking to use health data for the early detection of arrhythmia and cerebral infarction, while the latter aims to collect data from people with COPD.

Japan-based study wants to tackle atrial fibrillation, which can increase the risk of cerebral infarction by approximately five times, with 20 percent of patients that are hospitalized for cerebral infarction carrying the risk of atrial fibrillation. Researchers are hoping that the data collected and then analyzed will help them diagnose and prevent atrial fibrillation.

Called Heart and Brain, Keio University’s study collects data through survey questions about users’ risk of cerebral infarction and quality of life. Also, the app prompts users to perform a motor assessment test.

On the other hand, we have COPD Foundation enrolling people in its research registry, COPD Patient-Powered Research Network (COPD PPRN). The Foundation aims to enroll 75,000 people with the help of the ResearchKit app, called StopCOPD, which was developed in partnership with Seattle-based company DatStat.

Called Heart and Brain, Keio University’s study collects data through survey questions about users’ risk of cerebral infarction and quality of life.“We are constantly looking for ways to engage, empower, and inform both the patient and research community and this platform enables us to reach an even greater number of people than ever before using the most advanced and sophisticated technology,” COPD Foundation President and Cofounder John W. Walsh said in a statement. “We are delighted that we are able to offer a new app for COPD, a lung disease which is the third leading cause of death in America.”

StopCOPD includes surveys and tests such as motor activities, fitness tracking, and cognition. In the future, StopCOPD will offer comparative data so that participants can view how they compare to aggregated data from other participants.

Overall, there are now at least 15 ResearchKit apps.

[Via: mobihealthnews]