Why do Healthcare Mobile Apps need Governance and a Legal Framework?
Modern-day patients get so carried away by the benefits and convenience of smartphone health apps that they don’t think twice before trusting a provider with their sensitive and personally identifiable information. Providers too, do not bother to adopt all the stringent security measures that will protect patient data from unauthorized access, unless they are compelled to do so by regulatory authorities. Healthcare mobile applications are double-edged swords. On one hand, mHealth apps have provided unthinkable outcomes for patients, doctors, and service providers. But, on the other hand, the usage of smartphone apps in healthcare has made patient data all the more vulnerable to security threats. Healthcare data is the most valuable data on the dark web these days. There have been incidents of health data breaches in recent years that have compromised the records of millions of patients. This post discusses the reasons why there is an urgent need for regulatory governance and legal fr...