The Asthma Mobile Health Study, a Large-scale Clinical Observational Study Using ResearchKit

Overview

Journal Nat Biotechnol

Specialty Biotechnology

Date 2017 Mar 14

PMID 28288104

Citations 97

Authors

Yu-Feng Yvonne Chan

Pei Wang

Linda Rogers

Nicole Tignor

Micol Zweig

Steven G Hershman

Nicholas Genes

Erick R Scott

Eric Krock

Marcus Badgeley

Ron Edgar

Samantha Violante

Rosalind Wright

Charles A Powell

Joel T Dudley

Eric E Schadt

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The feasibility of using mobile health applications to conduct observational clinical studies requires rigorous validation. Here, we report initial findings from the Asthma Mobile Health Study, a research study, including recruitment, consent, and enrollment, conducted entirely remotely by smartphone. We achieved secure bidirectional data flow between investigators and 7,593 participants from across the United States, including many with severe asthma. Our platform enabled prospective collection of longitudinal, multidimensional data (e.g., surveys, devices, geolocation, and air quality) in a subset of users over the 6-month study period. Consistent trending and correlation of interrelated variables support the quality of data obtained via this method. We detected increased reporting of asthma symptoms in regions affected by heat, pollen, and wildfires. Potential challenges with this technology include selection bias, low retention rates, reporting bias, and data security. These issues require attention to realize the full potential of mobile platforms in research and patient care.

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