Apple's ResearchKit did in 24 hours what would normally take 50 medical centers a year

[RedRound2]

Source: http://9to5mac.com/2015/03/12/researchkit-usage/

 

 

 

       

 

  

 

  

 

Stanford University said that 11,000 iPhone owners signed up for a heart health study using Apple’s newly-announced ResearchKit in the first 24 hours–completely unprecedented numbers.

 

“To get 10,000 people enrolled in a medical study normally, it would take a year and 50 medical centers around the country,” said Alan Yeung, medical director of Stanford Cardiovascular Health, speaking to Bloomberg.

 

Stanford is one of five academic centers that have developed apps that use the iPhone’s built-in accelerometers, gyroscopes and GPS to provide data which assists in medical research. There are, say researchers, both pros & cons to recruiting study participants through ResearchKit … 

 

The big advantage is that researchers no longer have to rely on what study participants claim about things like the amount of exercise they take: the iPhone reports the actual data.

 

The iPhone helps address a problem that standard trials often encounter: people enrolled in studies often falsely report their activity to researchers. By using its internal components or secondary devices connected wirelessly via Bluetooth, the iPhone can silently measure users’ behavior, without relying on them to keep track or be honest about what they’re doing.

 

But there are also downsides. For example, iPhone users may not be representative of the U.S. population as a whole.

 

The average iPhone user is more likely to have graduate and doctoral degrees than the average Android user, and has a higher income as well, according to polling company CivicScience Inc. Those sort of demographic differences could skew the findings from a study.

 

Participants may also accidentally select options when answering questions through the app, or have their responses biased by being presented with multiple-choice responses rather than a human being asking open-ended questions.

 

These difficulties aside, the potential seems huge. Todd Sherer, CEO of the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, says that a traditional study with 800 participants over five years cost around $60M. The Parkinson’s app had 5,589 participants by Tuesday morning.

 

If you want to know more about how ResearchKit works, and how you can help future medical studies, check out our hands-on guide.

 

And here's a video from Apple about research kit:

 

 

This is great! I feel that Apple made a huge contribution to medical field. Their one minor con can be overcomed since this is open source. Let's take a moment and appreciate them for what they had done.

[Aniallation]

 

The average iPhone user is more likely to have graduate and doctoral degrees than the average Android user, and has a higher income as well

 

the f***

[Nikolithebear]

Interesting, still cant beleive they threw Andriod users under the bus like this with about the Salary and doctor-it.  

 

 

[Profquast]

the f***

 

Makes sense, higher educated people have generally speaking more money for high end phones, and there are simply no low end iPhones while there are hundreds of low end android phones.

[AMICLG]

the f***

Iphones are the most prominent mobile device in North America and they're fashion icons so of course those two metrics match up when 2/3 of the populace has one. Source is from a site called 9to5Mac so I can only assume they're just fanboying and either creating false metrics or or bending ones to they're liking.

[imthewalrus]

Makes sense, higher educated people have generally speaking more money for high end phones, and there are simply no low end iPhones while there are hundreds of low end android phones.

 

Out of all my professors that have a PhD (9), only one owned an iPhone and he didn't know how to use it. 

[Kingofpants]

the f***

Why are you suprised?

Firstly its corrilation not causation. Buying an Iphone won't make your richer, just now in a group that is statistically richer.

Android phones are also cheaper. So someone already unsucsessful will probably buy a cheap phone, Which typically means an android one.

Android is also very popular worldwide in poor countries due to its cheap pricing.

That drops the average.

[Victorious Secret]

Instead of saying "WTF" and figuring out a way to bash Apple about this, can we just take a moment and be proud that technology has done something meaningful for science and moved the field forward? 

Can we try that? 

 

And just so we're clear, I would like to stress just how incredible this is. You know what it usually takes to get this many participants in a study? 5-8 years at least. Sometimes even more. The last study I worked on required FIVE years just to get 2500 patients. 

 

So this is amazing. I hope more brands and institutions get into this and make use of it. I'm tired of people seeing Apple and just proceeding to shitposting. Read up on this, get involved. Do some good instead of just sitting on your asses mashing away at your keyboards.

[Aniallation]

Instead of saying "WTF" and figuring out a way to bash Apple about this, can we just take a moment and be proud that technology has done something meaningful for science and moved the field forward?

No

[DigitalHermit]

I'm working using evidence based medicine methods right now... is the study and statistics for this already published?? This might be beneficial for the place I'm working for... (one of their current research topics is the use of consumer electronics for medical informatics and remote patient monitoring)

[Victorious Secret]

I'm working using evidence based medicine methods right now... is the study and statistics for this already published?? This might be beneficial for the place I'm working for... (one of their current research topics is the use of consumer electronics for medical informatics and remote patient monitoring)

 

Contact Stanford directly, they're usually happy to share what they have

[DigitalHermit]

Contact Stanford directly, they're usually happy to share what they have

 

Would try (with appropriate permission from upper management)...

[Doughnutnator]

Out of all my professors that have a PhD (9), only one owned an iPhone and he didn't know how to use it.

This.

Almost all my teachers own Android, and not the cheap ones (Galaxy Notes/Galaxy etc).

I think that simple stuff like a MicroSd card, file explorer makes it easier to certain users.

[NeoZeon]

So I've been at 4 universities ( Ivy league, state school, small liberal arts, and Uni California) and almost all of them used mac products. My current research lab (I'm getting a PhD) uses apple products. At least in North America, and in Physics/Mathematics/Computer Science, I've noticed more people using mac products than not. I think its a bit closer now than it was 5 years ago (I've been in residence academia for 8 years now... holy cow!), and I bet the stats are probably more like 55 to 45 in apples favor, but the idea that more academics and people with advanced degrees use apple products seems to fit my observations. Like I said I don't really have any concrete stats, but I've been around these people (they are my friends, coworks and colleagues after all) for a while now.

 

Its also important to note that lawyers love to use word perfect, which only works with OSX (i think).  

[Bsmith]

damn this is awesome, all people claiming apple doesn't innovate should suck on this!

(partly fanboy idea)

[Techteen14]

I can get over my hate for Apple because they're doing something meaningful.

[Victorious Secret]

damn this is awesome, all people claiming apple doesn't innovate should suck on this!

(partly fanboy idea)

 

This is something I hope my lab takes a serious look at implementing as well. This will only be beneficial so long as more and more companies make use of it. ResearchKit being open source actually allows for that. 

[dalekphalm]

So I've been at 4 universities ( Ivy league, state school, small liberal arts, and Uni California) and almost all of them used mac products. My current research lab (I'm getting a PhD) uses apple products. At least in North America, and in Physics/Mathematics/Computer Science, I've noticed more people using mac products than not. I think its a bit closer now than it was 5 years ago (I've been in residence academia for 8 years now... holy cow!), and I bet the stats are probably more like 55 to 45 in apples favor, but the idea that more academics and people with advanced degrees use apple products seems to fit my observations. Like I said I don't really have any concrete stats, but I've been around these people (they are my friends, coworks and colleagues after all) for a while now.

 

Its also important to note that lawyers love to use word perfect, which only works with OSX (i think).  

 

Interesting things to note. However, I find it hard to believe that Computer Science is predominantly Apple products. Sure, you can learn the basics of programming on any machine, since the fundamentals are transferable (Once you learn a language, it's easier to learn another one). But that would severely limit which IDE's they could use, and what sorts of IT things they could learn.

 

I know that in my IT School, they basically had no Mac's at all. Only in the design studio type courses (Such as Audio/Visual stuff like Video Editing). We predominantly worked with both Windows and Linux, with a skew towards Windows. Though to be fair, higher level IT courses will focus more heavily on Linux.

[LAwLz]

the f***

Just ignore claims like that. According to some reports iPhone users are poorer, and according to some they are richer.

I don't think anyone has very accurate data on it, and even if they did, who cares? It's not like you will become rich just because you pick one brand over another. People who brag about things like that are just insecure about their preferences.

 

 

Interesting things to note. However, I find it hard to believe that Computer Science is predominantly Apple products. Sure, you can learn the basics of programming on any machine, since the fundamentals are transferable (Once you learn a language, it's easier to learn another one). But that would severely limit which IDE's they could use, and what sorts of IT things they could learn.

 

I know that in my IT School, they basically had no Mac's at all. Only in the design studio type courses (Such as Audio/Visual stuff like Video Editing). We predominantly worked with both Windows and Linux, with a skew towards Windows. Though to be fair, higher level IT courses will focus more heavily on Linux.

Probably varies a lot from school to school. For all we know, his class might be an anomaly, or maybe it's our classes (in my class it's like ~1/3 Linux, ~2/3 Windows and like 2-3 people with Macs) that are the exceptions rather than the norm.

[Bsmith]

This is something I hope my lab takes a serious look at implementing as well. This will only be beneficial so long as more and more companies make use of it. ResearchKit being open source actually allows for that. 

 

yeah that might be a little problem, altough i guess, if the amount of apple users is as high as predicted in medical/science/research fields, then it shouldn't be much of a problem, but healthkit being open source should make it an even bigger reason to implent it or atleast look at it for companies, with the right push(which apple seems to be giving) it should be far spread and in everybodies face pretty soon, which hopefully catches on some other big companies, like google or microsoft.

 

Interesting things to note. However, I find it hard to believe that Computer Science is predominantly Apple products. Sure, you can learn the basics of programming on any machine, since the fundamentals are transferable (Once you learn a language, it's easier to learn another one). But that would severely limit which IDE's they could use, and what sorts of IT things they could learn.

 

I know that in my IT School, they basically had no Mac's at all. Only in the design studio type courses (Such as Audio/Visual stuff like Video Editing). We predominantly worked with both Windows and Linux, with a skew towards Windows. Though to be fair, higher level IT courses will focus more heavily on Linux.

 

don't forget, mac's have built in bootcamp assistant, allowing for booting into windows if needed, that along with the reliability of mac's(due to their low clocks) and the fact you get discount as educational institute and mass buy discount's, it might end up pretty cheap for big school's that need, let's say 1000+ systems ASAP, without problems(see high school set-up's with hp/dell systems).

[dalekphalm]

Just ignore claims like that. According to some reports iPhone users are poorer, and according to some they are richer.

I don't think anyone has very accurate data on it, and even if they did, who cares? It's not like you will become rich just because you pick one brand over another. People who brag about things like that are just insecure about their preferences.

 

Indeed, and even if it was true, it would be meaningless, because they're comparing exclusively high end phones sold by one specific manufacturer, to an entire eco-system of Android Phones of all various sizes and price-points.

 

That would be like saying "Statiscally, Owners of Samsung Note phones have higher education and higher income compared to owners of Lumia 520 phones".

 

No shit.

 

People who own high end phones in general will have a higher likelihood of being more wealthy and better educated.

[cesrai]

Just ignore claims like that. According to some reports iPhone users are poorer, and according to some they are richer.

I don't think anyone has very accurate data on it, and even if they did, who cares? It's not like you will become rich just because you pick one brand over another. People who brag about things like that are just cooler.

Fixed.                                                                                                                                                                     jk

Indeed, and even if it was true, it would be meaningless, because they're comparing exclusively high end phones sold by one specific manufacturer, to an entire eco-system of Android Phones of all various sizes and price-points.

 

That would be like saying "Statiscally, Owners of Samsung Note phones have higher education and higher income compared to owners of Lumia 520 phones".

 

No shit.

 

People who own high end phones in general will have a higher likelihood of being more wealthy and better educated.

I agree.

[NeoZeon]

Interesting things to note. However, I find it hard to believe that Computer Science is predominantly Apple products. Sure, you can learn the basics of programming on any machine, since the fundamentals are transferable (Once you learn a language, it's easier to learn another one). But that would severely limit which IDE's they could use, and what sorts of IT things they could learn.

 

I know that in my IT School, they basically had no Mac's at all. Only in the design studio type courses (Such as Audio/Visual stuff like Video Editing). We predominantly worked with both Windows and Linux, with a skew towards Windows. Though to be fair, higher level IT courses will focus more heavily on Linux.

 

 

It is also probably an American thing, as Apple, until recently, has always targeted Americans over the rest of the world (and still probably do, just they are making obvious efforts in other countries now). 

[dalekphalm]

yeah that might be a little problem, altough i guess, if the amount of apple users is as high as predicted in medical/science/research fields, then it shouldn't be much of a problem, but healthkit being open source should make it an even bigger reason to implent it or atleast look at it for companies, with the right push(which apple seems to be giving) it should be far spread and in everybodies face pretty soon, which hopefully catches on some other big companies, like google or microsoft.

 

 

don't forget, mac's have built in bootcamp assistant, allowing for booting into windows if needed, that along with the reliability of mac's(due to their low clocks) and the fact you get discount as educational institute and mass buy discount's, it might end up pretty cheap for big school's that need, let's say 1000+ systems ASAP, without problems(see high school set-up's with hp/dell systems).

 

I'm gonna have to disagree with this. First, yeah you've got Bootcamp, but that just adds on to the cost of them purchasing Mac's, since that means they will then need to pay for 1000 Windows Licenses to go along with the 1000 iMacs (I assume iMac, simply because if it was a Mac Pro, there'd be no question that Windows was cheaper in literally every way - Programmers don't need Mac Pros).

 

Furthermore, if you're buying 1000 desktop systems, Dell or HP will give you a huge discount. Even with the Apple discount, you could still get a comparable system specs wise for cheaper from Dell or HP.

 

Plus, business class Dell computers, for example, are extremely reliable. We run well over 150 of them here at work. We even have 10 year old Dell's still kicking, no problem. Plus, their business class support is excellent. We can have a technician here on-site next day if needed.

 

Most High Schools that have shitty HP setups plagued with problems are because they don't take care of them. Maintenance is required no matter what kind, Apple or PC. Either that, or they cheaped out and bought budget model pieces of crap, or they're 15 years old and well past due for replacement.

 

I would not say that a Mac is more reliable then a Windows based PC (especially a higher end or well built one, like business Dell computers). Especially since they're using for the most part, Mobile components, shoved inside a tiny case with limited ability for cooling.

 

Mac's ARE good computers, and certainly, in some situations, possibly better. But I just can't see the advantage of Mac's in a Computer Science school environment. Having some? Yes. Maybe a single Mac computer lab, or a section dedicated to learning the Mac computer science ecosystem. But by far - the majority of the computers should be PC, else you're just limiting the students or complicating matters with Bootcamp for no good reason.

[NeoZeon]

I can tell you that I pay much less for a macintosh when I'm using school funds (research grants) than I do when I get the educational discount.