A news release published on Wednesday stated that, “Today, Xcertia announced the initial release of its updated guidelines for mobile health applications (mHealth apps), addressing five key areas of design and development: privacy, security, operability, usability and content. The Xcertia Guidelines are now available for a public comment period through May 15, 2019. Xcertia, a non-profit organization that supports the collaborative development of industry guidelines for safe and effective mHealth apps, announced availability of the guidelines at the HIMSS Global Conference taking place in Orlando, Florida.”
Further, the news release noted, “Xcertia work groups, addressing all five key areas of the guidelines, will be responsible for further updates, ensuring that the criteria within each section of the Xcertia Guidelines is current with the latest thinking and best practices. Work group members represent a broad mix of industry expertise and experience, including subject matter experts from Partners Connected Health, HIMSS, the Personal Connected Health Alliance, Consumer Technology Association, Medstar, Duke, the Mayo Clinic, the American Association of Diabetes Education and others.”
And it quoted Michael Hodgkins, M.D., Xcertia board chair, as stating that "Our guidelines development is an iterative process and our goal is to include input and comment from key stakeholders at every step along the way. Recognizing that privacy and security are paramount to overcoming concerns that are hindering the adoption and use of mHealth apps, we accelerated the release of the privacy and security guidelines in October, to gain the endorsement of our board and other key partners. We are pleased to release the guidelines, and seek additional comment on all five sections. We are grateful to our work group members for their efforts to create this important guidance for the mHealth market."
In October 2018, Xcertia released a draft of the privacy and security sections of the guidelines for public comment. Today's release incorporates updates to these two sections, as well as new guidelines covering operability, usability and content. The completed guidelines are expected to be released in late May 2019, following the public comment period, which expires on May 15, 2019.
"There is a pressing need in the market to establish a framework to evaluate mobile health apps and build confidence among physicians and consumers, that apps are safe, trustworthy and important tools to help people achieve their health and wellness goals," said Dr. Hodgkins. "Xcertia encourages stakeholders throughout the ecosystem to participate in this process and support the implementation of these guidelines in the market."
The full news release can be accessed here.
