Digital Health: Ethical and Policy Challenges

ABSTRACT Purpose: The purpose of this article is to shed light on the current landscape of digital health through the lens of the policy and ethical challenges that face the healthcare community. Method: A PubMed literature search was conducted utilizing key terms “digital health technology” AND “policy” AND “ethics”. The search was further filtered to include clinical trials, meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials, and systematic reviews in the English language. Results: Only seven articles relevant to the topic were found. The shifting healthcare landscape and the lack of robust information on this subject demonstrates a need to highlight the importance of this topic. Conclusion: In conclusion, the lack of studies proves there is much work to be done in the digital health space with regard to policy and ethics. Although our current healthcare landscape has addressed some of the concerns, new and emerging technologies will require all stakeholders to collaborate on standard setting. Although the articles discussed did not fully answer the research question, they do provide an opportunity to further analyze the current landscape of digital health. Keywords: Digital Health Technology, Policy, Ethics KEY POINTS The key points of this project are as follows: Educate the target audience about digital health and its implications to practice. Educate the target audience regarding the ethical challenges that face the healthcare industry. Provide the audience a better understanding of the risks and challenges of digital health from a policy perspective. Provide the audience an improved understanding of the digital health landscape and the stakeholder’s roles with respect to education, governance, and leadership