Apple Heart Study ramps up with new solicitations to Apple Watch owners

Posted:
in Apple Watch edited May 2018
Apple Watch owners are being emailed and invited to sign up for the Apple Heart Study, which it announced in partnership with Stanford Medicine in November 2017.

Apple and Stanford Health Heart Study


The company is sending out email invitations recruiting new members, a change from the relatively passive approach the company has used so far. Participants must download the Apple Heart Study iPhone app to sign up, which will also install a watchOS companion.

Once a person is accepted into the study, the app monitors heart rate and rhythm. Should an irregular rhythm be detected, the app will trigger a notification, and arrange a free video chat with medical professionals.

Apple Heart Study e-mail


In some instances a doctor may send out an electrocardiogram patch to confirm legitimate problems.

Study participants must be U.S. residents aged 22 or older, and wearing an Apple Watch Series 1, 2, or 3 with watchOS 4.x or later. The original 2015 Watch -- the "Series 0" -- is incompatible.

While Apple initially put a heavy fashion focus on the product, even selling gold models costing $10,000 or more, the company has since shifted emphasis to health and fitness. Series 2 and 3 models are equipped with GPS and waterproofing, and Watch owners can take advantage of GymKit for more accurate workout data on compatible cardio machines.

The wearable has even sometimes been credited with saving lives, since it can alert people to heart rate spikes or quickly call emergency services.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 20
    GeorgeBMacGeorgeBMac Posts: 11,421member
    I signed up.   I see this as the tip of the iceberg regarding the future of medicine.   Specifically, the combination of:
    --  Telemonitoring
    --  Functional and activity based tracking

    Our healthcare system is locked into the 19th century concept of assuming a person is healthy unless or until they contract some recognizable disease.   Then the healthcare system sucks that person into its web, fixes the problem and sends them back out to be "productive members of society".  

    Essentially, it's not a whole lot different from your neighborhood garage where you take your car when it breaks.   The difference is, given the chance, the human body will renew and repair itself.  If taken proper care of, it simply won't need a physician.

    These kind of studies and techniques will promote the idea of the human body caring for itself. 
    Soliracerhomie3stantheman
  • Reply 2 of 20
    kesemkesem Posts: 28member
    Some people have afib all the time. Hopefully the watch won't keep freaking those people out with constant alerts. 
  • Reply 3 of 20
    Buh, is Series 0 incompatible only because processor can't keep up? Or does it monitor heart differently from later models?
  • Reply 4 of 20
    GeorgeBMacGeorgeBMac Posts: 11,421member
    kesem said:
    Some people have afib all the time. Hopefully the watch won't keep freaking those people out with constant alerts. 
    If it does, then they can uninstall the app that they installed.
    racerhomie3lolliver
  • Reply 5 of 20
    jbdragonjbdragon Posts: 2,305member
    Buh, is Series 0 incompatible only because processor can't keep up? Or does it monitor heart differently from later models?
    I downloaded the app last week and tried to run it, but it said my Watch was not compatible. It's a Original Apple Watch. I can see this being more of a issue as it gets older. I was going to upgrade to the series 3, but now I'm kind of waiting to get a series 4 whenever that comes out now. I have someone who would buy my current one for $100.
    king editor the grate
  • Reply 6 of 20
    larryjwlarryjw Posts: 1,031member
    I’ve been in the study for 79 days, with 439 readings. Series 3 watch. 

    I guess its good for a guy in his 70s — so far it hasn’t told me a damn thing 
    fotoformatGeorgeBMac
  • Reply 7 of 20
    joe28753joe28753 Posts: 82member
    Buh, is Series 0 incompatible only because processor can't keep up? Or does it monitor heart differently from later models?
    It’s the heart rate monitor that got updated and is required for this. The newer ones have the ability to occasionally take beat to beat measurements (time between consecutive beats), so they can give you heart rate variability. 
    king editor the grateGeorgeBMac
  • Reply 8 of 20
    f1turbof1turbo Posts: 257member
    larryjw said:
    I’ve been in the study for 79 days, with 439 readings. Series 3 watch. 

    I guess its good for a guy in his 70s — so far it hasn’t told me a damn thing 
    No news is good news  :)
    lowededwookiespinnydstanthemanlolliver
  • Reply 9 of 20
    urashidurashid Posts: 127member
    jbdragon said:
    Buh, is Series 0 incompatible only because processor can't keep up? Or does it monitor heart differently from later models?
    I downloaded the app last week and tried to run it, but it said my Watch was not compatible. It's a Original Apple Watch. I can see this being more of a issue as it gets older. I was going to upgrade to the series 3, but now I'm kind of waiting to get a series 4 whenever that comes out now. I have someone who would buy my current one for $100.
    I think you should take that $100 now and put it towards a new Series 3 (or refurb from Apple for even a better deal).  By the time series 4 comes out, I highly doubt you will be able to $100 for Series 0.
  • Reply 10 of 20
    KuyangkohKuyangkoh Posts: 838member
    Series1 is not supported unfortunately, its time for a new?? Nah never mind i will keep my data
  • Reply 11 of 20
    HeliBumHeliBum Posts: 129member
    kesem said:
    Some people have afib all the time. Hopefully the watch won't keep freaking those people out with constant alerts. 

    My wife was ineligible for the study  because she already has A-Fib.
  • Reply 12 of 20
    joe28753 said:
    Buh, is Series 0 incompatible only because processor can't keep up? Or does it monitor heart differently from later models?
    It’s the heart rate monitor that got updated and is required for this. The newer ones have the ability to occasionally take beat to beat measurements (time between consecutive beats), so they can give you heart rate variability. 
    Zoinks! Thank you, sir! I was already looking forward to Series 4 so I can procure a Series 3 on the cheap(er). Desire growing now.
  • Reply 13 of 20
    GeorgeBMacGeorgeBMac Posts: 11,421member
    larryjw said:
    I’ve been in the study for 79 days, with 439 readings. Series 3 watch. 

    I guess its good for a guy in his 70s — so far it hasn’t told me a damn thing 
    In this case, No News is Good News
  • Reply 14 of 20
    GeorgeBMacGeorgeBMac Posts: 11,421member
    Kuyangkoh said:
    Series1 is not supported unfortunately, its time for a new?? Nah never mind i will keep my data
    Series 1 IS supported.  Only the original (Series 0) is not supported.
    I have a series 1 and it's running the app.
    lolliver
  • Reply 15 of 20
    stukestuke Posts: 122member
    102 days in study, 848 readings, Series 3 LTE (not activated), exercise every weekday for 1+ hours before the day begins, 3.5 years constant, don’t eat obvious junk food, but also don’t stick to ANY diet plan, enjoying my excellent 10 pound weight loss that is constant and lastly feel great each day. 

    Basically...just do it!  The Heart Study is just a fun sidekick thing to make Apple and medical breakthroughs happen faster. 
    edited May 2018 GeorgeBMac
  • Reply 16 of 20
    lowededwookielowededwookie Posts: 1,143member
    Apparently the rest of the world don't have hearts.

    I'd think that the more people and the more cultures that are monitored would make for even better results. You'd have a much clearer idea about things like how different diets affect our hearts, how different cultural activities affect our hearts, and many more data points that can help people.

    But at the moment only in America.
  • Reply 17 of 20
    A1andA2A1andA2 Posts: 1unconfirmed, member
    one of the questions it asks upon installation is "do you have Afib?" another one was "do you take blood thinners?". Refused to let me join after I truthfully answered "yes" to both.
  • Reply 18 of 20
    detty1024detty1024 Posts: 1member
    Just signed up after having an SVT palpitation. Interested to see if this thing picks up an episode. And this is after wearing a holter monitor for 30 days and unsuccessfully catching any episodes. This could really be a huge step in catching irregular hearbeats.
  • Reply 19 of 20
    beowulfschmidtbeowulfschmidt Posts: 2,120member
    larryjw said:
    I’ve been in the study for 79 days, with 439 readings. Series 3 watch. 

    I guess its good for a guy in his 70s — so far it hasn’t told me a damn thing 


    The test isn't for you, it's for your Apple Watch.  If you read all the documents, it's a study as to the feasibility of the Apple Watch as an actual accredited measuring device suitable for clinical studies.

    Any information or help you get from it is just serendipitous. :)

  • Reply 20 of 20
    kenckenc Posts: 195member
    jbdragon said:
    Buh, is Series 0 incompatible only because processor can't keep up? Or does it monitor heart differently from later models?
    I downloaded the app last week and tried to run it, but it said my Watch was not compatible. It's a Original Apple Watch. I can see this being more of a issue as it gets older. I was going to upgrade to the series 3, but now I'm kind of waiting to get a series 4 whenever that comes out now. I have someone who would buy my current one for $100.
    I got a Series 1, new, from Macys not long ago for $150. If you can sell your original Apple Watch for $100, then you could have a new watch for just $50, and be eligible for the Study.
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