This is currently an in-progress project, and is currently incomplete.
When Apple released CareKit, I thought it would be interesting to put together a demonstration application which includes a back-end service. The idea is that a doctor can enter a care plan on a remote server, and have the CareKit-based application synchronize with that care plan on a local device. The eventual goal was to demonstrate synchronizing of CareKit measurements with a back end in a secure fashion, with a simple back end which uses access controls to limit access to patient information.
The code currently contained here is not HIPPA compliant. Specifically not logging has been wired in to track access to patient data. This code should not be used in a medical setting, at least without a thorough understanding of the security issues involved with handling patient data, and without adding the necessary code for HIPPA compliance, including finer grained security access, and security auditing.
However, the current code does demonstrate a few interesting features:
-
A Diffie-Hellman key exchange which encrypts the data that is exchanged. Private confidential information is encrypted in such a way so that even using a tool like Charles to reveal the contents of the packets will reveal no confidential information. (This algorithm is even implemented within GWT, so confidential information on the front-end web site is preserved in the face of an SSL "man in the middle" attack. Note that a number of firewall/antivirus products will generate a certificate which permits those products to examine all data between a client and server--so simply using SSL is insufficient in securing data between a client and server.)
-
An "Apple-TV" style login process, whereby the user logs in on the web, and adds his mobile device by entering an 8-character string displayed on his phone. This greatly simplifies the process of adding a device to an account--which is important for elder patients who may not have the motor skills to use the built-in keyboard on iOS.
As I continue to tinker with the code base I will add more features and update the read-me here.
More information can be found on my blog at ChaosInMotion.
CareDemo: A demo front end/back end using Apple's CareKit and GWT
Copyright © 2016 by William Edward Woody
This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
(at your option) any later version.
This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU
General Public License for more details.
You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
along with this program. If not, see http://www.gnu.org/licenses/
Contact information:
William Edward Woody
12605 Raven Ridge Rd
Raleigh, NC 27614
United States of America
woody@alumni.caltech.edu
I believe software like CareKit and ResearchKit and other medically-related applications represent a significant opportunity to improve the standard of living for countless millions around the world, and I was fascinated by the technology. This is my first crack at understanding these technologies, and thinking through the ramifications of a more integrated care system.
If you are interested in finding out more about this code base or if you are interested in hiring me as a consultant, please e-mail me at woody@alumni.caltech.edu.