COPD Foundation Introduces StopCOPD App Powered by Apple’s ResearchKit

The COPD Foundation has announced its launch of the StopCOPD app, a powerful new tool to enable patients to participate in the COPD Patient-Powered Research Network (COPD PPRN), a lung health research study aiming to enroll over 75,000 individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or those at risk who have agreed to share their health information and the impact the disease has on their lives.

StopCOPD uses the new ResearchKit software framework designed by Apple to make it easier for researchers to gather data more frequently and more accurately from participants using iPhone apps. ResearchKit enables participants to easily complete tasks or submit surveys right from the StopCOPD app and delivers a simple way to present participants with an interactive informed consent process.

“I am extremely pleased we are able to introduce the StopCOPD app. We are constantly looking for ways to engage, empower, and inform both the patient and research community and this platform enables us to reach an even greater number of people than ever before using the most advanced and sophisticated technology,” says John W. Walsh, president and co-founder of the COPD Foundation and principal investigator for the COPD PPRN. “Many leading research institutions have created apps with ResearchKit in the areas of asthma, breast cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and Parkinson’s disease. We are delighted that we are able to offer a new app for COPD, a lung disease which is the third leading cause of death in America.”

About the StopCOPD ResearchKit

The COPD Foundation worked closely with the Seattle-based company DatStat on the development of the StopCOPD app. The Foundation used Apple’s ResearchKit software framework designed specifically for medical research that enables physicians and researchers to gather data more frequently and more accurately from participants using the iPhone. Features of the StopCOPD app include:

• Informed consent: users are able to read the informed consent document which is displayed in a clear and easily maneuverable fashion

• Surveys: participants are able to complete COPD PPRN surveys through the app as well as access additional educational information

• Active tasks: participants are also able to share additional information about themselves by performing activities that generate data using iPhones advanced sensors. Initial tasks include motor activities, fitness, cognition, and voice.

• Comparative data: future features of the app will allow participants to see how their personal data compares to others in an aggregate fashion

• Integration between desktop and mobile: participants have the ability to enter data from either their desktop browser via an online portal or the StopCOPD app on their iPhone. The data is easily saved and stored allowing them to resume data entry from either device they choose without having to reenter data.

“Now more than ever, technology has the power to link researchers and patients while significantly accelerating the way valuable information is collected,” says Vincent Malanga, Chief Information Officer for the COPD Foundation. “By using the ResearchKit open source framework coupled with the technology infrastructure developed and deployed by DatStat, the StopCOPD app will help the COPD Foundation revolutionize the way we are engaging with research.”

The StopCOPD app will be available from the Apple App Store and can be used on iPhone 5, iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.

App Store:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/stopcopd/id1020845469?mt=8

For more information, visit:
http://www.copdfoundation.org

Source: The COPD Foundation