Pharma giant Johnson & Johnson has reportedly partnered with Apple on a new virtual study called Heartline aiming to detect if heart health-related features on Apple devices can result in improving the outcome.
Both companies have teamed up to study Atrial Fibrillation (AFib), a condition where the heart beats irregularly. AFib, if not treated, can lead to a stroke and other serious health conditions. Seniors with the age of 65 and above are at a higher risk of suffering from AFib.
Anyone in the US aged 65 and above can download the Heartline Study app on their iPhone to participate.
The study aims at analysing whether the Heartline Study app on the iPhone and the ECG app along with the irregular rhythm notification on the Apple Watch can improve alerts and reduce the likelihood of a stroke.
Heartline aims at recruiting over 1.5 lakh people who will be assigned to one of the two buckets. Some will be navigated to the Heartline app on the iPhone, while others are given an Apple Watch as a loaner device or at a subsidised price of $49 plus tax, reported CNBC.
Participants can also receive cash rewards for meeting goals on the app. It also connects to Medicare’s Blue Button API, which gives patients access their claims data, including information on bills.
The idea of this study is to use devices to help alert seniors to medical conditions before they get serious, and to send alerts to emergency services if a serious event occurs, like a fall.
“This study represents an important step forward for the clinical utility of consumer-grade wearables,” Jeffrey Wessler, a cardiologist in New York told CNBC. Due to the study size, it could take up to three years for Apple and Johnson & Johnson to publish the results.
