Healthcare is getting more personal and as a result, medical professionals require more data than ever to effectively treat diseases. That said, individuals are also becoming more health conscious and have been tracking and collecting data such as sleep times, heart rate, blood oxygenation and more through wearables like the Apple watch. Apple is taking the next step in enhancing their Health app to allow even better insights and secure data sharing.
With the latest update to the Apple Health app on iOS, the company is making proactive strides to putting more actionable data into the hands of its users. The new update to health allows users to gain more insights with trend analysis. The new feature allows users to track and visualise data trends for 20 types of data. This includes cardio fitness, sleep and even resting heart rate. These trends allow Health app users to track and visualise health and lifestyle metrics that are important to them. The Trends feature will also proactively highlight changes in the data that may be significant to users. The changes will be highlighted and surfaced in a way that is easily understood.
Apple is also bringing a new feature called Walking Steadiness. The feature comes in the wake of an increasing number of cases where serious conditions and loss of independence resulting from a fall. A staggering 37 million cases were reported in April 2021 by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The new feature collects mobility data as users use their iPhones. The algorithms assess balance, stability and coordination using the motion sensors of the iPhone. Based on this data, it will return a classification OK, Low or Very Low. The app will then notify users if their steadiness drops below their preset levels and recommend curated, clinically validated visual exercises to increase strength and balance. Joining the steadiness feature is the respiratory rate measurement on the Apple Watch which will allow users to monitor their breathing even when asleep.
Apple’s greatest contribution to personalised health comes with its implementation of Health Sharing. The new feature allows users to share their data with others. While screen capping has always been an option on other platforms, Apple is allowing users to curate and allow visual access to the data to others. This means that users are able to keep an eye on their ageing parents or even share relevant data with their healthcare provider for better care and management of their conditions. It will also allow users to have better, more meaningful conversations with their doctors and allow more effective management. Apple is also including the ability to store vaccination records and tests in the app.
That said, Apple Health isn’t leaving privacy in the lurches. Apple is allowing granular control of the data collected in the Health app to the user. In fact, the company guarantees that the data collected remains private and secure. The data stored is encrypted securely even during sharing and is locked behind a passcode, Face ID or Touch ID on the phone itself. The company guarantees that it doesn’t have any access to the data even when the data is shared.
