Apple HealthKit reportedly to shift from tracking to diagnosis
Apple wants HealthKit to become the central medical analysis tool that doctors and patients have been waiting for, according to Bloomberg.
An Apple HealthKit checkup a day could keep the doctor away.
Apple plans to turn HealthKit app bundle into a full-fledged diagnostic tool that interprets fitness and health data in order to offer medical advice, Bloomberg reported Monday.
The tech giant has recruited a team of health care experts over the past few years who are busy beavering away to build an electronic record system that will be able to analyze data for both doctors and patients, the news service reported, citing "people familiar with team's plans."
Apple introduced HealthKit software in 2014 and, right from the start, made data gathered from wearables a central part of the accompanying Health app's job.
Key to the new system will be a series of apps that ensure the Apple Watch is capable of taking more sophisticated measurements, including measuring fitness levels by tracking the time it takes someone to return to their resting heart rate following vigorous exercise. The Apple Watch already has the requisite heart rate sensor built in, but now needs the software to do more than just measure and track heart rate.
Turning data into actionable information will be central to the whole diagnostic system, as well as allowing that data to be securely shared and transferred between medical establishments, said Bloomberg. Back in August, Apple purchased startup Gliimpse, which pulls electronic health records from different places and stores them in one place.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.