RECOVER expands its data collection efforts through the Digital Health Program
Information collected in real time will help researchers learn more about the daily lives of people affected by Long COVID.
RECOVER is expanding its efforts to understand how Long COVID affects people’s health over time. RECOVER’s Digital Health Program (DHP) will help researchers:
- Gain access to new types of health data
- Capture health data automatically, securely, and in real time
- Learn more from the many different people already taking part in RECOVER research
How does the DHP work?
Anyone who is taking part in the RECOVER adult observational study can join the DHP. Some pediatric observational study participants who are 13 years old or older may be asked to join.
People can participate in the DHP in multiple ways. DHP participants can choose to wear a device, like a Fitbit or Apple Watch, that continuously sends health data to the RECOVER app, MyDataHelps. RECOVER offers a free Fitbit to anyone joining the DHP. Using RECOVER's free Fitbit allows researchers to collect the same type of information from everyone who joins the DHP.
DHP participants can also choose to share their electronic health record (EHR) with RECOVER.
DHP participants wearing a Fitbit or other device share data about their:
- Physical activity (for example, how many steps they take each day)
- Heart rate and how it changes between different activities
- Blood oxygen levels, which are important measures of lung and heart health
- Sleep patterns, such as how long and deeply they sleep each night
DHP participants who share their EHRs provide researchers with access to valuable information that cannot be obtained from surveys, which researchers working on RECOVER observational studies use to collect health information from participants. The information unique to EHRs includes symptoms people reported to their doctors, health conditions they had before getting Long COVID, medications they’ve taken, and the results of medical tests.
Whether DHP participants choose to use a Fitbit, share their EHR, or both, RECOVER will protect the privacy of their personal health information.
How is RECOVER using this data?
RECOVER research teams can use information from the DHP to inform and improve their current and future studies on Long COVID.
Access to this new data will help researchers learn more about the similarities and differences between the health of people taking part in RECOVER studies. These similarities and differences could also reveal broader patterns in RECOVER data. These patterns could lead to new insights about the specific effects Long COVID can have on the body.
Update: The DHP ceased operations on April 7, 2025. Although no more data will be collected, DHP participants can still use their wearable device and the MyDataHelps app to track their activity and symptoms. Moving forward, RECOVER will use the resources that had been dedicated to the DHP to support other types of Long COVID research, including clinical trials. Read the study update for more details.
