Does Digital Health Need More Regulation?

Digital health now provides a greater role in healthcare than ever before. As such, the Digital Health All Party Parliamentary Group has been formed to highlight the benefits that successful use of data and digital health technologies can bring to the NHS, patients and the UK economy. As we have seen throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, digital health offers opportunities to change the way healthcare is delivered and increase patient access to care.

As we move beyond the current crisis, the use of digital health will become more prominent, and it is important that we have an appropriate regulatory regime as its use becomes more widespread.

A robust and transparent, yet agile, regulatory regime can underpin the safe use of digital health technologies and provide the platform to build public trust. Digital health products iterate at a rapid speed, in some cases every time the technology is used and the user or system inputs more information into an algorithm. Regulators need to have confidence in their ability to protect patient safety. However, traditional processes do not allow for this speed of change while ensuring patients’ access to life saving technologies.

For more information, contact info@digitalhealthappg.org