The University of Michigan has started a study of how smart watches, particularly the Apple Watch, can track and monitor patient’s blood pressure and heart rate. The study looks to review how that translates to chronic health symptoms, and if the data they provide can help providers diagnose and treat certain conditions.
This study will go for three years and is called the Michigan Predictive Activity and Clinical Trajectories (MIPACT) study. The study currently has 1,000 patients enrolled and plans to have thousands more enrolled over the next year.
Participants who enroll in the study are provided with an Apple Watch. To participate in the study, the enrollees will “wear the watch, obtain home blood pressure readings and perform a guided breathing task two times a day,” according to Dr. Sachin Kheterpal, head of the study. Blood samples will be taken and regular surveys will be done throughout the study to measure participant’s involvement and health.
No expectation is currently in place to discover better methods for treating chronic disease. The study is more so to reflect the impact of technology on health, and how health practitioners can quantify and use the data provided by these smart devices.
Do you wear a smart watch or fit bit daily? Do you use it to track and measure your heart rate as well as how many steps you’ve taken on a particular day? Do you use your fitness app to review trends from week to week and month to month and provide that data to your doctor? We want to hear from you!
Source: https://www.modernhealthcare.com/technology/university-michigan-begins-research-study-apple-watch-health-data?utm_source=modern-healthcare-daily-dose&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20190318&utm_content=article7-headline