Wearables, such as the Apple Watch, are becoming more commonly used in clinical research, as mentioned in a previous blog post. Most recently, as stated by Stacy Lawrence of Fierce Medical Devices, researchers at the MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper are using the Apple Watch in a 9-month study to analyze the basic health data of breast cancer patients as they undergo treatment.
Polaris Health, a behavioral health tech company, created the app that will be used, emPOWER. Not only will the app track the patients’ physical health, it will track their mindset and behavioral health, such as sleeping habits and moods. Dr. Generosa Grana of MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper stated, “A positive frame of mind can help patients through all phases of their diagnosis and treatment.” Going forward, it will be interesting to see the impact wearables have on the clinical research industry and on healthcare.
Click here to read Lawrence’s article. To access the press release, click here.