Apple HeathKit to be Tested at Duke and Stanford University Medical Centers

The beauty of technology is that it has a way of inserting itself into every facet of life, even if the two subjects are seemingly on different planes. The recent developments from Apple have been aimed at the heath sector, focusing first in fitness but moving onwards towards actual medical purposes. Apple's proposed HeathKit would be a revolutionary step towards the bridging the divide between doctor and patient.

Throughout human history the doctor/patient relationship has slowly become less and less personal. There used to be a town doctor of sorts, who knew every patient by name and actually would travel to personal homes if called upon. Over time the medical practice turned its sights on becoming a business rather than a strictly service oriented profession.

Apple's proposed HeathKit would bridge the gap between doctors and patients because health information on patients would be constantly sent to medical facilities. The app automatically sends health updates from the users device to the medical center where in theory heath professionals could keep instant tabs on at risk patients.

Although the app has yet to be perfected in functionality, Reuters reported that Duke and Standard Universities are first in line to begin testing HeathKit in their medical centers. Stanford University will be using HeathKit to track blood sugar levels in children with diabetes. Technology has always attempted to find better ways of measuring blood sugar but to date, pricking the finger is still the best method. Stanford University will still use that method except the readings will be send to an iPod Touch, and then transferred from there using the HealthKit.

Duke University will focus on heart rate and blood pressure in patients who have cancer or heart disease. Heart rate and blood pressure are far easier to test for than diabetes. In theory a patient might only need to wear an Apple Watch and the information could be directly sent to the medical center.

If the trials at Duke and Stanford go according to plan, Apple will be at the forefront of establishing an elaborate system by which medical information can be shared instantaneously. Through pure speculation, one could see medical centers coding the information and having high-risk readings pop up as a sort of 'alert.' The medical professional could then contact the patient or if need be send an ambulance to their GPS position. The possibilities of HeathKit are completely endless and will undoubtedly become more and more refined as time goes on.