Stanford University School of Medicine is pumping some new blood into a popular health app that helps heart patients track and share data.
In 2015, Stanford released MyHeart Counts, an Apple app that lets patients improve their heart health and track key heart metrics. An Android version has not yet been developed.
The app, which measures daily activity, level of fitness and cardiovascular risk, has been downloaded and used by 54,000 patients, Stanford says. Now a new release of the appMyHeart Counts 2lets users share heart health and activity data with university medical researchers. The latest version of the app also includes other upgrades, including personal prompts and suggestions on bettering heart health and enhanced graphics that give users better and faster ways to view key heart metrics such as pulse rate and blood pressure.
The most unique thing about the new version is its ability to randomize patients and intervene, saysEuan Ashley, Stanford associate professor of cardiovascular medicine and of genetics.
The MyHeart Counts app, which is available as a free download, was developed in order to help Stanford medical researchers collect clinical data on cardiovascular disease and form better methods of care, including preventative care by patients.
The research app allows willing participants to share measures of day-to-day activity levels, cardiovascular health, and blood pressure and cholesterol levels with medical researchers at Stanford. A consent module also allows participants with an account with23andMe, a personal genomics and biotechnology company based in Mountain View, Calif., toshare their genetic information securelywith Stanford researchers, the university says.
MyHeart Counts 2.0 presents users with graphs that show how they compare to other users in terms of how many steps they take each day, how happy they are, how much they sleep they get and the quantity of vegetables they eat. Users get prompts to learn more about what contributes to heart health.
A new coaching module takes users through a week of baseline measurements and, based on patients results, suggests a series of four weekly behavioral change programs. For example, the app might suggest that sedentary participants take a moment to stand up or find ways to increase their daily step count.
Stanford built and updated the MyHeart Counts app in conjunction with Oxford UniversityandLifeMap Solutions, a digital and mobile health applications development company. We know when it comes to changing key health habits, such as physical activity and daily sitting time, one size definitely does not fit all, says Stanford professor of medicine and of health research and policyAbby King. Yet, until the advent of mobile apps and other e-health programs, weve had few options for customizing messages and feedback to individuals in real time.