In an increasingly digital world, healthcare professionals, technology companies and data scientists are working together to develop healthcare technologies using patient data to aid clinical decision-making and monitor health.
There are no specific laws or regulatory approvals that apply to data-driven healthcare technologies. This is because the use of patient data and the development of medical software and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are already covered by existing laws and regulatory approvals. However, it can sometimes to be difficult to know how they apply in this area.
Whether you are just starting out and want to find out more about data-driven technology, or if you are developing or redeveloping software but aren’t sure if you need approval, our information can help you navigate through the regulatory pathway.
The menu on the left allows you to move between the different sections.
Getting it right
Patients are keen to see innovations in healthcare, but they want to know that their data is used appropriately and to see the benefit of future patients and the NHS. Data-driven technologies should be developed to address a clinical need and patients should be involved in the research and development.
Image 1: A photo of Dr Pearse Keane, Consultant Opthalmologist and AI researcher, and accompanying quote which reads "The most important thing about applying AI to NHS datasets is transparency and patient and public involvement. That will be the thing that ensures it is successful and you get broad support from the many different people you have to deal with."
Watch the video below to hear the insights of Dr Pearse Keane.
The Academy of Medical Sciences has developed principles to guide the future use of data-driven technologies in healthcare, based on a series of dialogue workshops with patients, the public and healthcare professionals.
Image 2: A photo of Professor Sir Jonathan Montgomery, Chair of the HRA, and accompanying quote which reads "Patients need to have confidence that technology is addressing issues that matter to them, whether that's being done by the NHS alone, or in partnership with industry. Underpinning everything should be a commitment to the ethical and legal use of healthcare data".
Read Professor Sir Jonathan Montgomery’s blog
on these new principles.