Monitor Your Own Health and Care With Apple's CareKit

There is no magic formula for staying healthy, and what it means to be "healthy" for one person may not be the same for another. Therefore, monitoring your medical conditions and vitals in between doctor visits should be a key part of your routine. But unless you've got quite the medicine cabinet, doing so isn't always easy.

According to Tech Times, Apple announced a new software framework for developers this week called CareKit, which will allow them to create health monitoring apps that give users the power to track their medications, symptoms, and other health information—and to share it directly with their nurse or doctor from a connected device. Expected to roll out in April, CareKit builds upon the previously announced ResearchKit, which allows medical professionals to gather data about your health.

Apple

"We believe that giving individuals the tools to understand what is happening with their health is incredibly powerful," Apple's COO Jeff Williams said in a statement, "and apps designed using CareKit make this a reality by empowering people to take a more active role in their care."

The first four Apple-designed modules include a Care Card, Symptom and Measurement Tracker, Insight Dashboard, and the Connect module, which facilitates the transfer of data from patient to physician. Apple reports that Sage Bionetworks and the University of Rochester, The Texas Medical Center, and other developers are finding ways to incorporate the CareKit framework into apps for patients with Parkinson's, mental health issues, diabetes, pregnancy, and other unique health profiles.