{"id":4669,"date":"2015-03-01T17:22:59","date_gmt":"2015-03-01T17:22:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/live-ubc-llc.pantheonsite.io\/?p=678"},"modified":"2025-05-15T18:52:46","modified_gmt":"2025-05-15T18:52:46","slug":"apples-researchkit-the-panacea-for-patient-recruitment","status":"publish","type":"insights","link":"https:\/\/ubc.com\/insights\/apples-researchkit-the-panacea-for-patient-recruitment\/","title":{"rendered":"Apple\u2019s ResearchKit: The Panacea for Patient Recruitment?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Apple introduced its ResearchKit, a new software platform for patient recruitment, at its \u201cSpring Forward\u201d event last week.\u00a0It features 5 apps \u2013 asthma<\/u><\/a>, Parkinson’s disease<\/u><\/a>, diabetes<\/u><\/a>, breast cancer<\/u><\/a>, and cardiovascular disease<\/u>.\u00a0As one of the hundreds of millions of iPhone users, and a member of the clinical research community, I was eager to check them out.<\/p>\n

The Potential<\/strong><\/p>\n

Anyone who works in clinical research is familiar with the common problems associated with patient recruitment, contributing to extended study timelines and increased cost.\u00a0So, the prospect of an open-source app for patient recruitment is exciting.\u00a0Could this deliver a truly patient-centric model, bringing the study to the patient\u2019s handheld device?\u00a0Let\u2019s look at the promise:<\/p>\n

Rapid Recruitment<\/em>: With so many of us using Apple devices, the patient pool for clinical trial recruitment is vast.\u00a0Think of the potential to recruit populations for studies that investigate chronic, widespread diseases, or, recruiting study participants from remote areas of the country.\u00a0It was reported that more than 11,000 volunteers signed up for a cardiovascular trial using the MyHeart Counts app within a day after the launch of ResearchKit.<\/p>\n

User-Friendly Functionality<\/em>: Apple has built its empire on its user-friendly interface.\u00a0And when you open one of the 5 apps you will see that the functionality, and the language that describes the study, is easy to follow.\u00a0\u00a0There are familiar prompts to learn about the study, pre-qualify and consent to it, as well as images and video to aid user comprehension.<\/p>\n

The Risk<\/strong><\/p>\n

This shiny new Apple appears to have some brown spots, however.\u00a0As with any new technology or innovation, there can be undesirable consequences.<\/p>\n

Data Integrity<\/em>: One of the challenges ResearchKit intends to overcome is the burden of data collection. Unfortunately, even in the pre-screening process, there\u2019s a risk of gathering data from patients that is inaccurate. For example, users can enter and then change their answers to the study pre-qualifying questions, or submit their answers multiple times. Not to mention the risk of users falsifying data intentionally, with no live person to verify it.<\/p>\n

Informed Consent<\/em>: The ResearchKit apps are user-friendly.\u00a0Maybe too user-friendly.\u00a0The consent process educates the prospective participant about the study, using images and videos, depending on the app.\u00a0Then the user takes a test to quiz their knowledge before they consent.\u00a0The patient-doctor dialogue \u2013 the essence of informed consent \u2013 is removed.<\/p>\n

Population Bias<\/em>: These apps are free and easy to download. And with more than 60% of teens in the U.S. with iPhones, it opens the door to users under age 18 \u201cqualifying\u201d for a study. As well, market research suggests that iPhone users tend to be more affluent.<\/p>\n

Protecting PHI<\/em>: Apple expressed its commitment to user privacy, but acknowledged, \u201cwe can\u2019t promise perfect anonymity\u201d.\u00a0Data shared using an app are not subject to the data privacy laws we\u2019re all familiar with for clinical studies.\u00a0And while Apple maintains that the personal health data collected through these apps will be de-identified, there\u2019s always a risk that someone could re-identify it\u2026or hack it.<\/p>\n

The ResearchKit is an exciting development, but it\u2019s an evolving technology.\u00a0Stay tuned\u2026the full service goes live next month.<\/p>\n

Connect with an expert on the topic of patient recruitment here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Learn more about this latest offering from Apple and what it could mean for clinical research.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":9882,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"insights_category":[33],"insights_tags":[107,108,109,110,111,112,113,114,115,116,117,118,119,120,121,122,123,124,125,126,127,128,129,130,131,132,133,134,106,135,136,137,138,139,140,141,142],"class_list":["post-4669","insights","type-insights","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","insights_category-blog","insights_tags-anesthesiology","insights_tags-cardiology","insights_tags-dental-and-oral-health","insights_tags-dermatology","insights_tags-endocrinology","insights_tags-gastroenterology","insights_tags-genetic-diseases","insights_tags-gynecology","insights_tags-hematology","insights_tags-hepatology","insights_tags-immunology","insights_tags-infectious-diseases","insights_tags-medical-devices","insights_tags-mens-health","insights_tags-metabolic-diseases","insights_tags-musculoskeletal","insights_tags-nephrology","insights_tags-neurology","insights_tags-obstetrics","insights_tags-oncology","insights_tags-ophthalmology","insights_tags-orthopedics-orthopedic-surgery","insights_tags-otolaryngology","insights_tags-pain","insights_tags-palliative-care","insights_tags-pediatrics-neonatology","insights_tags-podiatry","insights_tags-psychiatry","insights_tags-pulmonary-respiratory-diseases","insights_tags-rare-and-orphan-diseases","insights_tags-rheumatology","insights_tags-sleep-disorders","insights_tags-surgery","insights_tags-transplantation","insights_tags-trauma","insights_tags-urology","insights_tags-vascular-diseases"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nApple\u2019s ResearchKit: The Panacea for Patient Recruitment? 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