With all this technology, you’d have thought that apps were advanced enough to detect health dangers. However, this unfortunately may not be the case for many smartphone health apps.
We as Group Action Lawyers represent victims for Medical Group Actions and Data Breach Group Actions, so this is right up our avenue of experience.
Healthcare app study
The University of Michigan Medical School published a study in the journal Health Affairs which found that high-quality apps were ridden with problems. The study of the apps went beyond basic step counting ‘fitness’ apps. More importantly, the study reviewed more than a hundred apps designed for ‘more serious’ health problems, like those involving conditions such as asthma, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and depression.
Examples of the risk that the healthcare app poses
One health app tracks and records blood sugar readings and insulin injections for diabetes sufferers. You can see how important the app is for diabetes patients, as missed doses or injections could well be fatal.
Another app allows users to take pictures of their moles so the app can offer a supposedly “thorough” analysis of whether any changes in the skin is an indicator for skin cancer. The benefits of using such an app are clear – but can they be relied upon safely?
One of the most concerning issues highlighted in the study was the fact that doctors reviewing answers that users gave them didn’t take into account certain ‘red-flag’ situations. For example, these situations included where users selected ‘yes’ when asked if the user had suicidal tendencies, or inputting abnormal blood sugar levels. The study showed that only 28 out of 121 apps responded ‘appropriately’ to such ‘red-flag’ information, but really severe and important ‘red-flags’ may be getting missed.
Many doctors like Dr. Karandeep Singh said that health apps “should have common-sense standards”. In effect, this is to respond appropriately to users who are showing signs of health risks and ‘red-flag’ situations.
Data protection risk
Not only do the health apps pose a potentially serious health risk, there are also risks with data protection as well.
Medical privacy is one that warrants greater attention because medical/healthcare records are often very sensitive indeed. They can be valuable too: a study showed that, while financial information can go for £1 on the black market, medical records can go for ten times that amount.
With health apps, it’s important that users put as much information in as possible to accurately assess the users health. A lot of the information is also shared through un-secure networks like text messaging or emailing. Half of the apps allowed sharing of information via email, and 17 per cent allowed sharing via text message.
Lack of written privacy policies
More worryingly, only two-thirds of the health apps had a written privacy policy. These policies generally detail how the app developers intend to protect or use the information they receive. The study notes that these figures are a significant increase of data privacy policies compared to previous studies. However, I still find this disturbing as the apps that were reviewed this time round were supposed to be the highest-quality ones.
Health apps are also subject to minimal regulation, and Mr Singh advised users to look beyond app ratings, as it forms an important part of a person’s health. Reviews by other users aren’t always a reliable guide, as physicians and non-physicians evaluated the apps based on their usefulness.
App developers must address these issues
The study highlights the need for app developers to warn users of dangerous health risks and for them to do more to secure their users’ private information. If the aim of these apps is to reduce the burden on healthcare institutions, the health apps must address these issues urgently. If they fail to do so, healthcare institutions may end up plagued with high volumes of emergencies and patients may develop avoidable long-term problems as a direct result of using these apps.
This is a serious problem.
Sources:
https://knowridge.com/2016/12/few-mobile-health-apps-help-patients-who-need-them-most-study-finds/
First published by Admin on December 24, 2016
Posted in the following categories: Medical Technology