Apple's CareKit (HealthKit) - what kinds of clinical data does it work with?

I thought Apple had given up on HealthKit, but recently we learned that it’s been rebranded as CareKit and it seems to be going forward.

Since my professional work is in “health informatics”, specifically medical knowledge applications, I was curious what “ontology” (data dictionary, terminology, etc) Apple was using for it’s CareKit work. The concept set is somewhat hidden within Apple’s HealthKit Constants Reference documentation. I auto-expanded the symbols (nice web app Apple!) and make a quick pass at organizing the strings.

For someone like me it’s a fascinating set. The discussion of privacy and FDA device identifiers is noteworthy — in an early implementation it was apparently possible to trace HealthKit data to an individual device (not good, obviously - bold below).

I liked the use of Fitzpatrick Skin Type instead of trying to describe ethnicity/race.

It’s a fun list to scan:

HKMetadataKeyBodyTemperatureSensorLocation
HKMetadataKeyCoachedWorkout
HKMetadataKeyDeviceManufacturerName
HKMetadataKeyDeviceName
HKMetadataKeyDeviceSerialNumber
HKMetadataKeyDigitalSignature
HKMetadataKeyExternalUUID
HKMetadataKeyFoodType
HKMetadataKeyGroupFitness
HKMetadataKeyHeartRateSensorLocation
HKMetadataKeyIndoorWorkout
HKMetadataKeyMenstrualCycleStart
HKMetadataKeyReferenceRangeLowerLimit
HKMetadataKeyReferenceRangeUpperLimit
HKMetadataKeySexualActivityProtectionUsed
HKMetadataKeyTimeZone
HKMetadataKeyUDIDeviceIdentifier
HKMetadataKeyUDIProductionIdentifier
HKMetadataKeyWasTakenInLab
HKMetadataKeyWasUserEntered
HKMetadataKeyWorkoutBrandName

HKCategoryTypeIdentifierAppleStandHour
HKCategoryTypeIdentifierCervicalMucusQuality
HKCategoryTypeIdentifierIntermenstrualBleeding
HKCategoryTypeIdentifierMenstrualFlow
HKCategoryTypeIdentifierOvulationTestResult
HKCategoryTypeIdentifierSexualActivity
HKCategoryTypeIdentifierSleepAnalysis

HKBiologicalSexFemale
HKBiologicalSexMale
HKBiologicalSexNotSet = 0
HKBiologicalSexOther

HKBloodTypeABNegative
HKBloodTypeABPositive
HKBloodTypeANegative
HKBloodTypeAPositive
HKBloodTypeBNegative
HKBloodTypeBPositive
HKBloodTypeNotSet = 0
HKBloodTypeONegative
HKBloodTypeOPositive

HKBodyTemperatureSensorLocationArmpit
HKBodyTemperatureSensorLocationBody
HKBodyTemperatureSensorLocationEar
HKBodyTemperatureSensorLocationEarDrum
HKBodyTemperatureSensorLocationFinger
HKBodyTemperatureSensorLocationForehead
HKBodyTemperatureSensorLocationGastroIntestinal
HKBodyTemperatureSensorLocationMouth
HKBodyTemperatureSensorLocationRectum
HKBodyTemperatureSensorLocationTemporalArtery
HKBodyTemperatureSensorLocationToe

HKCategoryValueCervicalMucusQualityCreamy
HKCategoryValueCervicalMucusQualityDry = 1
HKCategoryValueCervicalMucusQualityEggWhite
HKCategoryValueCervicalMucusQualitySticky
HKCategoryValueCervicalMucusQualityWatery

HKCategoryValueMenstrualFlowHeavy
HKCategoryValueMenstrualFlowLight
HKCategoryValueMenstrualFlowMedium
HKCategoryValueMenstrualFlowUnspecified = 1

HKCategoryValueSleepAnalysisAsleep
HKCategoryValueSleepAnalysisInBed

HKCharacteristicTypeIdentifierBiologicalSex
HKCharacteristicTypeIdentifierBloodType
HKCharacteristicTypeIdentifierDateOfBirth
HKCharacteristicTypeIdentifierFitzpatrickSkinType
HKCorrelationTypeIdentifierBloodPressure
HKCorrelationTypeIdentifierFood

HKFitzpatrickSkinTypeI
HKFitzpatrickSkinTypeII
HKFitzpatrickSkinTypeIII
HKFitzpatrickSkinTypeIV
HKFitzpatrickSkinTypeNotSet = 1
HKFitzpatrickSkinTypeV
HKFitzpatrickSkinTypeVI

HKHeartRateSensorLocationChest
HKHeartRateSensorLocationEarLobe
HKHeartRateSensorLocationFinger
HKHeartRateSensorLocationFoot
HKHeartRateSensorLocationHand
HKHeartRateSensorLocationWrist

HKQuantityTypeIdentifierActiveEnergyBurned
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierAppleExerciseTime
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierBasalBodyTemperature
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierBasalEnergyBurned
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierBloodAlcoholContent
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierBloodGlucose
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierBloodPressureDiastolic
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierBloodPressureSystolic
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierBodyFatPercentage
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierBodyMass
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierBodyMassIndex
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierBodyTemperature
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryBiotin
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryCaffeine
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryCalcium
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryCarbohydrates
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryChloride
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryCholesterol
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryChromium
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryCopper
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryEnergyConsumed
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryFatMonounsaturated
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryFatPolyunsaturated
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryFatSaturated
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryFatTotal
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryFiber
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryFolate
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryIodine
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryIron
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryMagnesium
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryManganese
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryMolybdenum
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryNiacin
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryPantothenicAcid
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryPhosphorus
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryPotassium
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryProtein
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryRiboflavin
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietarySelenium
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietarySodium
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietarySugar
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryThiamin
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryVitaminA
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryVitaminB6
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryVitaminB12
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryVitaminC
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryVitaminD
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryVitaminE
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryVitaminK
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryWater
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDietaryZinc
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDistanceCycling
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierDistanceWalkingRunning
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierElectrodermalActivity
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierFlightsClimbed
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierForcedExpiratoryVolume1
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierForcedVitalCapacity
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierHeartRate
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierHeight
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierInhalerUsage
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierLeanBodyMass
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierNikeFuel
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierNumberOfTimesFallen
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierOxygenSaturation
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierPeakExpiratoryFlowRate
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierPeripheralPerfusionIndex
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierRespiratoryRate
HKQuantityTypeIdentifierStepCount

HKWorkoutActivityTypeAmericanFootball = 1
HKWorkoutActivityTypeArchery
HKWorkoutActivityTypeAustralianFootball
HKWorkoutActivityTypeBadminton
HKWorkoutActivityTypeBaseball
HKWorkoutActivityTypeBasketball
HKWorkoutActivityTypeBowling
HKWorkoutActivityTypeBoxing
HKWorkoutActivityTypeClimbing
HKWorkoutActivityTypeCricket
HKWorkoutActivityTypeCrossTraining
HKWorkoutActivityTypeCurling
HKWorkoutActivityTypeCycling
HKWorkoutActivityTypeDance
HKWorkoutActivityTypeDanceInspiredTraining
HKWorkoutActivityTypeElliptical
HKWorkoutActivityTypeEquestrianSports
HKWorkoutActivityTypeFencing
HKWorkoutActivityTypeFishing
HKWorkoutActivityTypeFunctionalStrengthTraining
HKWorkoutActivityTypeGolf
HKWorkoutActivityTypeGymnastics
HKWorkoutActivityTypeHandball
HKWorkoutActivityTypeHiking
HKWorkoutActivityTypeHockey
HKWorkoutActivityTypeHunting
HKWorkoutActivityTypeLacrosse
HKWorkoutActivityTypeMartialArts
HKWorkoutActivityTypeMindAndBody
HKWorkoutActivityTypeMixedMetabolicCardioTraining
HKWorkoutActivityTypePaddleSports
HKWorkoutActivityTypePlay
HKWorkoutActivityTypePreparationAndRecovery
HKWorkoutActivityTypeRacquetball
HKWorkoutActivityTypeRowing
HKWorkoutActivityTypeRugby
HKWorkoutActivityTypeRunning
HKWorkoutActivityTypeSailing
HKWorkoutActivityTypeSkatingSports
HKWorkoutActivityTypeSnowSports
HKWorkoutActivityTypeSoccer
HKWorkoutActivityTypeSoftball
HKWorkoutActivityTypeSquash
HKWorkoutActivityTypeStairClimbing
HKWorkoutActivityTypeSurfingSports
HKWorkoutActivityTypeSwimming
HKWorkoutActivityTypeTableTennis
HKWorkoutActivityTypeTennis
HKWorkoutActivityTypeTrackAndField
HKWorkoutActivityTypeTraditionalStrengthTraining
HKWorkoutActivityTypeVolleyball
HKWorkoutActivityTypeWalking
HKWorkoutActivityTypeWaterFitness
HKWorkoutActivityTypeWaterPolo
HKWorkoutActivityTypeWaterSports
HKWorkoutActivityTypeWrestling
HKWorkoutActivityTypeYoga

HKWorkoutSessionLocationTypeIndoor
HKWorkoutSessionLocationTypeOutdoor
HKWorkoutSessionLocationTypeUnknown = 1