New era of health data policy puts data privacy in focus

Personal health data can transform health care. We expect more resilient health systems, more control over our health information and high-quality data for clinical trials and public health research. Recent initiatives have taken steps to shape this future. Importantly, they put privacy in focus.

Recent global initiatives on health data

Several recent initiatives have made headlines in the digital health world. For one, in May of 2022, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published an update on their policy recommendations for Health Data Governance for the Digital Age. Since their original recommendation in 2016, the OECD sees examples of progress, but mostly room for improvement. Moving forward, they view cybersecurity as a top priority.

Also in May 2022, the European Commission (EC) launched the European Health Data Space. The regulation proposals create a health data framework for research, public health and innovation. While not yet approved, the proposal points to the importance of fostering innovation while ensuring compliance with the European Union’s high data protection standards.

If service providers are to lean on digital health systems, they have to know that they can protect their users’ rights to privacy.

Data privacy matters most

Of course, these are not the first plans laid out for the future of digital health. Take for instance the Digital Health Innovation Action Plan from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), or the ideas discussed at the Health Data Governance Summit in 2021 organised by the World Health Organisation (WHO). All around the world, health data is being discussed by leading institutions.

The OECD, EU, FDA and WHO all recognise how privacy and security are at the heart of digital health. They must be in place before any progress can be made. If service providers are to lean on digital health systems, they have to know that they can protect their users’ rights to privacy and ownership of their health information.

Secure digital health solutions are a challenge for businesses

Data is the gateway for technologies such as AI in health, but only if it is secure. Health data standardisation, improved accessibility to health data and digital health regulation make innovation easier, but the path to ensuring data privacy isn’t obvious for many innovators. So far, these requirements have not been fully met by existing consumer wearables or consumer smartphones collecting health data.

Many businesses that are driven by innovation are therefore looking for solutions that handle health data with high levels of integrity every step of the way – from collection to management. This depends on having a reliable and secure data connection between the end user’s device and the provider’s backend. With this in place, no third party can access the data they collect.

Is this level of health data privacy possible today?

mSafety from Sony – a development platform with a connected wearable device – offers businesses a springboard for secure digital health innovation with full ownership of the health data they are collecting.
mSafety is designed, developed and manufactured with the highest privacy and security standards. The collected end-user health data is confidential, has integrity and is reliably available only to those who are authorised.

mSafety can be used to build remote health monitoring solutions. This includes solutions for managing chronic conditions remotely, enabling active assisted living for elderly, supporting workers in potentially hazardous environments or increasing compliance in clinical trials.

Learn more

But how does mSafety ensure the security of its solution? Learn more in our technical whitepaper ‘The security model of Sony’s mSafety’. Follow the link below and sign up for a free copy.

mSafety security model white paper