Research Community

Join our research community and use Advoca completely free. Your everyday health experience — anonymised, and never traceable back to you — helps power research into conditions like yours, and when it's matched to a study, you share in the reward.

Advoca research community overview, showing rewards, privacy and the opt-in choice
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Built by NHS doctors Free to use GDPR compliant & HIPAA aligned
Written by Dr Shyam Dhokia, MB BChir Reviewed by Dr Michael Trueman, MB ChB Last reviewed
What it is

Help advance research into conditions like yours, and get rewarded for it

Advoca's Research Community is how you use Advoca completely free. When you join, you let us share your fully anonymised app data — appointments, journals, the questions you ask and any surveys you choose to take part in — to support medical research into conditions like yours. You stay untraceable throughout, and when your data is matched to a study, you share in the reward.

"Less than 5% of the more than 7,000 rare diseases believed to affect humans currently have an effective treatment."
Kaufmann, Pariser & Austin, NCATS Office of Rare Diseases Research (NIH), Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases, 2018 — a global estimate, defensible for UK and US readers alike.
Advoca research community overview showing rewards, privacy and the opt-out control
Stay anonymous

Share your data, never your identity

When you join, your app data is anonymised before it's ever shared to support research — appointments, journals, the questions you ask, and more. Nothing that could identify you is passed on.

  • You choose before anything is shared — your identity is protected by design.
  • Your data can't be traced back to you — ever, by anyone.
Advoca chat home screen showing suggested health questions
Get rewarded

Use the app as normal — and share in the reward

There's nothing extra to do. Use Advoca exactly as you normally would, and when your anonymised data is matched to a research study, you receive a share of the reward as vouchers or money.

  • Matched to studies automatically as you use the app — no forms to chase, no effort on your part.
  • Rewards paid in vouchers or money — a fair share when your data helps move research forward.
Advoca Premium screen showing research paper insights, maximum usage and the 2x rewards perk
Premium perk

Premium members earn double the reward

If you're a premium member, opting in is entirely up to you — and if you do, you earn twice the reward each time your data supports a study. It's our way of thanking the people helping research go further.

  • Double rewards on every matched study — your contribution is worth more as a premium member.
  • Always optional for premium — take part only if it feels right for you.
HOW IT WORKS

How the research community works

  1. 1Join our research communityJoin and use Advoca for free. Help advance medical research and get rewarded for it — fully anonymised, and always your choice.
  2. 2Use the app as normalKeep recording appointments, tracking your health and asking your questions. When your anonymised data is matched to a research study, you're notified.
  3. 3Share in the rewardWhen your data supports a study, you receive your share of the reward as vouchers or money. Premium members earn double.
WHO IT'S FOR

Great for people living with…

Whatever you're facing, your experience could help advance research into a condition like yours. Find the page built for your situation.

REAL PATIENT STORIES

See how Advoca helps people

Real video stories from people using Advoca to understand their care and feel less alone with their health.

Milla @millal40

Living with Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and IBD

“It records your whole conversation and summarises the key points, making it easier to understand.”
TikTok
Transcript

I think the most frustrating thing about having a chronic illness is having your symptoms flare up or you're developing a new one. So you go to your doctors and then boom, you get overstim ulated, the brain fog kicks in, and then you're stuck trying to understand all this new information that they're firing at you. And quite frankly, you just get confused. And then through all of this, you're not actually sure what the next step is. For example, I literally have a phone call appointment with my IBD nurse and literally forget half of what's been said. And having crippling health anxiety, this makes the problem ten times worse. But, there's a but. I've actually been informed about this app called Advica. Here we are. And wow, it is a game changer. So it essentially records your whole conversation with your doctor or your nurse and summarises all the key points, making it easier for you to understand. And then also what the actual next steps are. And on the topic of next steps, it gives you the resources to learn. Great, right? So like in simple terms, it gives you a link to your problem or like problems that you may be facing. And in turn, how's best to tackle it? Or you may just want a little bit more information regarding your appointment just to put your mind at ease a little bit. So, if you're facing any of the challenges that I've mentioned so far, why not give it a go? It's on Apple, it's on Android. And the best part of it all, it's completely free. None of this, it's free for a month and then you've got to pay $12.99 afterwards. You don't lose anything. If anything, it's going to make your life easier, less stressful and just overall better. In my opinion. I'm going to be trying it out. And if you do, let me know how you find it. I'll catch you later. Bye.

Jade @chronicallyiconicx

Living with Chronic illness

“It has made me feel so much more confident going into appointments.”
TikTok
Transcript

We all know being chronically ill comes with multiple doctor's appointments, seeing different consultants for different things, and it can be so hard to keep up with all the information that's said. Quite often there are important details we miss, and a normal recording doesn't break down the key points of the conversation. But I recently came across an app called Advocat, and it's completely changed how I manage my appointments. With Advocat, you can record your doctor's appointments, and the app generates a clear summary that focuses on the most important information mentioned. No more replaying long recordings and trying to figure out what actually mattered. It also pinpoints any medication mentioned and gives you information about it, plus shares helpful resources about any conditions discussed. You can set reminders for upcoming appointments so you don 't forget anything, and write down questions you want to ask beforehand, and the app will remind you during your appointments. You can even transfer full-time recordings into the app to keep a full log of all your medical conversations. I am so glad I found this app, and it's made me feel so much more confident going into appointments. And now I've got all the important information I need, and stored easy to come back to. And the best part about it is, it is completely free and always will be. If you struggle keeping track of everything like I do, I honestly couldn't recommend it more. Go and download Advocat and try it for yourself. Take the stress out of managing your appointments.

theCbomb @thecbomb.co.uk

Living with Metastatic breast cancer

“If you have hospital appointments or doctor's appointments, it's really worth having.”
TikTok
Transcript

So I had my radiotherapy appointment on Monday, which all went really well. I've got my planning scan this coming Tuesday, and then hopefully I'll start radiotherapy two weeks after that, which means I might miss my holiday, but we'll see. I know, look at all my hair growing back. It's crazy. It's grown so much, and I've got little stubbly eyelashes, and even eyebrow hairs. I forgot about all the hair maintenance that a swimmer have to do. My eye is looking very lazy. Not sure what that's about. But yeah, all really positive news. I wanted to talk about an app called Advoca, so I'm going to put a link to it in the spiel below this. But if you have hospital appointments or doctor's appointments, it's really worth having or looking at. It's made by NHS doctors, and it's GDPR approved, and I think it was great and really helpful for me.

Why Advoca

Why our research community is different

I’ve already recommended it to several friends with complex medical conditions… knowing it has been developed by clinicians gives me greater confidence.
— Jake, lives with ongoing/complex health conditions
It’s simple to use, makes me feel more confident going into appointments… recording, summaries and medications or conditions in one place is incredibly helpful.
— Amber, Advoca user
It’s like having a medical PA in your pocket… a must-have for anyone needing to see or speak to a doctor.
— A.F., Advoca user

How Advoca compares to other health apps

Many health apps don't make the value exchange clear. Here's how Advoca's Research Community is different.

AdvocaOther health apps
Sharing the rewardYou receive vouchers or money when your anonymised data supports a study.The value exchange is often unclear, and rewards are not built in.
Anonymity & consentFully anonymised before it's ever shared, and you consent to that up front.Often unclear what's stripped, or who your data is shared with.
Staying in controlYou're always in control of your participation — see our FAQ for how that works.Buried settings, and unclear how to change your mind.
Who built itBuilt by two NHS doctors, with patient safety and privacy designed in from the start.Often built around engagement metrics, with less clinical context.

Your questions, answered

Is Advoca free?

Yes. Everything you need to record, understand and manage your care is free when you join our research community. Joining means letting us share your fully anonymised data to help advance research into conditions like yours — you use the app exactly as normal, and when your data is matched to a study, you share in the reward. If you'd rather not take part, our premium subscription gives you full access without joining, plus extra features like research-paper search — and premium members are welcome to join the research community too, earning double rewards if they do.

Is my data really anonymous?

Yes. When you join, you consent to your data being fully anonymised before it's ever shared. Nothing that could identify you is passed on, and your identity can never be traced. You don't even need to give us your name to use Advoca.

Do I get paid?

You do. When your anonymised data is matched to a research study, you receive a share of the reward as vouchers or money. Premium members who choose to join earn double.

Can I opt out?

Yes, and we understand things change. If you're a premium member, you can step back from the research community whenever it feels right and carry on using Advoca as normal. If you joined as a free member, taking part in the research community is what keeps your access free, so stepping back would mean moving to a premium subscription to keep using Advoca. Either way, we'll always be upfront with you before anything changes.

Who uses my data?

Your data is shared in anonymised form to support research and development into conditions like yours — helping teams understand the patient experience, develop new treatments and improve care. It's never shared in a way that could identify you, and never with advertisers.

Medical disclaimer

Advoca helps you record, understand and organise your care. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, and it does not diagnose conditions or make treatment decisions — always speak to a qualified healthcare professional.

How the AI works

Advoca's assistant transcribes, summarises and explains your health information, grounded in trusted medical sources and overseen by our clinical team. It does not diagnose or replace your doctor — and, like any AI, it can occasionally get things wrong, so we always show you the sources and full transcript behind its answers.

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