Digital Health Clinical Safety

What is Digital Health Clinical Safety?  

• Digital health refers to the use of information and communications technologies in healthcare to manage illnesses and health risks and to promote wellness.   
• Digital health includes the use of wearable devices, mobile health (apps), telehealth, health information technology, and telemedicine.   
• Clinical safety is about keeping patients safe.  

Digital Health Clinical Safety encompasses the management of all aspects of risk relating to digital health including patient safety and service provision. 

Digital Health Technology Examples   

• Mobile Health Apps (sometimes called mHealth)  
• On-line Supports and Therapies (desk-top or apps)  
• Patient administration systems   
• Electronic patient records  
• Clinical care systems  
• Remote Health Monitoring  
• Video Enabled Care  
• AI Algorithms  
• Decision Support Systems  
• Wearables  
• Electrically operated technology used in the prevention, diagnosis or treatment of illness or disease, or for detecting, measuring, restoring, correcting or modifying the structure or function of the body for some health purpose, where data capture and management is a key function. 

Digital health technologies have the potential to:  

• Support self-management by the patient.
• Drive healthier choices.
• Support earlier intervention in a deteriorating patient.
• Support more precise diagnosis and treatment.
• Support the democratisation of healthcare through learning from appropriate, high-quality datasets.

In order to maximise this potential, digital health clinical safety competence will increase adoption of digital health technologies, build trust in technology and associated processes and reduce risks to patients and services. 

For more information view our related files below i.e. Digital Health Clinical Safety Overview, Digital Clinical Safety Hazard Assessment guide, Brief introduction to Digital Health Clinical Safety, Minimum Requirements Safety and Governance for Digital Health Solutions. 

Contact:

If you have any queries or want to get involved please contact our dedicated Digital for Care Programme Team at digitalforcare@hse.ie