What Kaiser Permanente learned from using Apple Watch tech in Parkinson’s care

Apple Watch may help keep people with Parkinson’s disease out of the hospital. That’s according to early data from a Kaiser Permanente pilot program.

Since late 2023, Kaiser Permanente has been giving some of its Parkinson’s patients in California an Apple Watch app called StrivePD, developed by Rune Labs. The app uses the onboard sensors in the device to track tremors associated with the disease; dyskinesia, a side effect of medication; activity; sleep; and falls. Using Rune’s software, people can also track medication intake and other data.

Rune’s offering includes both software-based education and human coaching to help people manage their condition from day to day. And data from the watch is reported to clinicians who can use it to make decisions about care, like whether someone ought to be on a different medication or get physical therapy.

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