Alzheimer’s and MHealth: Regulatory, Privacy, and Ethical Considerations

in Everyday Technologies in Healthcare, eds. C.M. Hayre, D.J. Muller, and M.J. Scherer, Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, pp. 31-52, 2019 and University of Groningen Faculty of Law Research Paper No. 2/2020

32 Pages Posted: 30 Dec 2019 Last revised: 14 Oct 2020

See all articles by Bonnie Kaplan

Bonnie Kaplan

Yale University; Yale University - Yale Information Society Project; Department of Biostatistics (Health Informatics); Yale Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics; Yale Law School

Sofia Ranchordas

Tilburg University; Libera Universita Internazionale degli Studi Sociali

Date Written: October 5, 2018

Abstract

Mobile Health (mHealth) – the provision of health care or wellness services through smartphones or tablets – has the potential to improve health care quality, access, and affordability. mHealth smartphone applications include informational reminders (for example, the names of loved ones or medication schedules) and tracking services designed to minimize the risk of patients’ wandering. These applications, especially applicable to first stage Alzheimer’s patients, might delay patients’ disease progression, improve their quality of life, and empower them and their care-givers. However, people who use these apps may have difficulties providing informed consent, may lose their devices, and might be unaware that their location is being tracked and their data collected.

This chapter overviews promises and pitfalls of mHealth, analyzes ethical and legal challenges of mHealth, especially focusing on privacy and security (while recognizing that there are many others) and explains why these general concerns are particularly exacerbated in the case of mHealth apps for Alzheimer’s patients. Existing legislation and regulation of medical devices is generally inapplicable to mHealth apps. Users and app developers currently have little clarity regarding the fragmented legislative and regulatory framework of mHealth. Many of these risks and concerns remain unanswered at the time of this writing. For mHealth in general, and Alzheimer’s patients in particular, more transparency and education, and better design and regulation are needed.

Keywords: mHealth, e-health, privacy, consent, mental health, elder law, cybersecurity, disability, bioethics

JEL Classification: I1, I18, K2

Suggested Citation

Kaplan, Bonnie and Ranchordas, Sofia, Alzheimer’s and MHealth: Regulatory, Privacy, and Ethical Considerations (October 5, 2018). in Everyday Technologies in Healthcare, eds. C.M. Hayre, D.J. Muller, and M.J. Scherer, Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, pp. 31-52, 2019 and University of Groningen Faculty of Law Research Paper No. 2/2020, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3500158

Bonnie Kaplan (Contact Author)

Yale University ( email )

New Haven, CT CT 06520
United States

HOME PAGE: http://https://medicine.yale.edu/profile/bonnie-kaplan/

Yale University - Yale Information Society Project ( email )

127 Wall Street
New Haven, CT 06511
United States

Department of Biostatistics (Health Informatics) ( email )

Yale School of Public Health
60 College St.
New Haven, CT 06511
United States

Yale Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics ( email )

238 Prospect Street
New Haven, CT 06515
United States

Yale Law School ( email )

127 Wall Street
New Haven, CT 06510
United States

Sofia Ranchordas

Tilburg University ( email )

P.O. Box 90153
Tilburg, DC Noord-Brabant 5000 LE
Netherlands

Libera Universita Internazionale degli Studi Sociali ( email )

Rome
Italy

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