The app predicts the spread of influenza from person to person. The thought is healthcare providers can use the data to inform patients who are at risk for contracting the virus, serving as a precautionary measure and encouraging them to stay home or take extra steps to avoid the spread of germs, according to a Triangle Business Journal report.
The app, called iEpi, requires users to record their symptoms every week, and those who report having flu-like symptoms receive throat swabs to see if they had the flu or a cold. The app also tracks where individuals go, to see with who they came into contact, according to the report.
“Because we can collect data on that small time scale and because we can collect data of a new, individualized kind, we can better make predictions,” said Katherine Heller, a statistician with Duke who helped develop the app, told Triangle Business Journal.
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