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Personalized Health Technology

Ethical, Legal and Social Implications (ELSI) of Personalized Health Technology
Personalized health technology – wearable tracking devices, embeddable sensors, and diagnostic testing – enables self-quantification and modification of health behaviors. It has potential to minimize the prevalence of chronic diseases by targeting leading risk factors. These include physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, and medication non-adherence.

Many individuals do not reap the benefits of personalized health technology because of poor design or unaffordability. Data from this technology can further invade individual privacy and confidentiality. Facilitating sustained uptake and acceptability of personalized health technology requires a framework that evaluates its ethical, legal, and social implications.

Guidelines

Guidelines for Personalized Health Technology

The guidelines are principles for the responsible innovation of personalized health technologies and the appropriate stewardship of data from these technologies. The guidelines are:

1. Build health technologies informed by science
2. Scale affordable health technologies
3. Guide interpretation of health data
4. Protect and secure health data
5. Govern the responsible use of health technology and data

If you have any questions, are interested in joining our working group, or want to be added to the mailing list for updates email us.

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Feedback

The Vitality Institute published a Viewpoint in the Journal of Health Communication (JHC) to launch a public consultation on Responsibility Guidelines for Personalized Health Technology.

It took place from July to October 2015, and stakeholders from the public, private, and social sectors provided detailed input on the Guidelines. View the webcast of our public webinar below for an overview of the feedback received.

Webinar Details

Date: October 22, 2015

Time: 11:00am-12:00pm EST

VIEW WEBCAST

Contact

Please contact Gillian Christie for additional information on this initiative or to receive future updates.

Relevant Resources

GUIDELINES

Guidelines for Personalized Health Technology (Final)

Final Guidelines on the responsible development and deployment of personalized health technology and associated data.

Infographic

A Visual about the Guidelines for Personalized Health Technology

This infographic was presented at HIMSS 2016, and highlights key challenges and promises of personalized health technology generated data.

Viewpoint

Journal of Health Communication: Consultation for Collective Action on Personalized Health Technology

Viewpoint published in the Journal of Health Communication to launch a global public consultation on personalized health technology.

White Paper

White Paper on Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications of Personalized Health Technology

Background paper on emerging challenges associated with personalized health technology.

Guidelines for Personalized Health Technology: Why they are important

Personalized health technology – wearable tracking devices, embeddable sensors, and diagnostic testing – enables self-quantification and modification of health behaviors.

Data from this technology can invade individual privacy and confidentiality. For greater and sustained uptake of these technologies, we need a framework that evaluates its ethical, legal, and social implications.

Derek Yach speaks to why this is so important.

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