Medical apps have been a big area for growth of the past few years and the trend suggests that this will only increase. Whilst these apps do provide help to plenty of patients, they aren’t without their risks.

Do you think that the benefits of health apps outweigh the negatives?

As long as health apps are developed and used responsibly, then I absolutely think that they are a beneficial addition to the healthcare system. My main concern comes from apps that have high amounts of error in detecting health problems, or promise health advice that should be sought out from a doctor.

Along with that, the companies should have a reliable business plan to prevent collapse and a sudden stop to the services that the app provides. Anyone using the data from these apps should take into account how the data may be skewed by only seeing data from a population that uses these apps and adjust for confounding variables such as this anyway.

What regulations are in place in your country regarding healthcare apps and devices?

The Medical and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has a document outlining essential requirements for medical apps and connected devices. As a general overview, medical apps must:

• Must not compromise the safety or health of users, or others, and the benefits must outweigh any associated risks.
  • This includes designing the app to reduce the risk of user error, by taking into account the technical knowledge and training of the user.
• Reduce risks as much as possible and include protection measures for any risks that cannot be eliminated.
• There must be evidence to validate that the app achieves its stated aims.
• It must be demonstrated that the app meets the essential requirements.