Regulation is needed to support the development of health IT
BMJ 2013; 347 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.f5593 (Published 18 September 2013) Cite this as: BMJ 2013;347:f5593
- Samuel P Leighton, core medical trainee1
- samleighton87{at}gmail.com
As Hoeksma points out,1 we cannot pin our hopes on amateur programmers and hobbyists solving all the NHS’s considerable technological woes. Regulation is needed in this area along the lines of the Care Quality Commission for healthcare providers or the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency for drugs and medical devices.
Sooner or later, someone will make a medical app or a software tool that leads to the harm or death of a patient. Lawsuits will probably be brought down on the comparatively innocent clinician hobbyist who helped make the app, and I worry that the NHS and government will happily sacrifice this person and absolve themselves of responsibility.
The rapidly evolving area of health IT urgently needs regulation to support its users and developers.
Notes
Cite this as: BMJ 2013;347:f5593
Footnotes
Competing interests: SPL is director and developer at Polwarth Ltd, an independent Scottish medical app company.
References
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