Abstract
Technology is changing at a rapid rate, opening up new possibilities within the health care domain. Advances such as open source hardware, personal medical devices, and mobile phone apps are creating opportunities for custom-made medical devices and personalized care. However, they also introduce new challenges in balancing the need for regulation (ensuring safety and performance) with the need to innovate flexibly and efficiently. Compared with the emergence of new technologies, health technology design standards and regulations evolve slowly, and therefore, it can be difficult to apply these standards to the latest developments. For example, current regulations may not be suitable for approaches involving open source hardware, an increasingly popular way to create medical devices in the maker community. Medical device standards may not be flexible enough when evaluating the usability of mobile medical devices that can be used in a multitude of different ways, outside of clinical settings. Similarly, while regulatory guidance has been updated to address the proliferation of health-related mobile phone apps, it can be hard to know if and when these regulations apply. In this viewpoint, we present three examples of novel medical technologies to illustrate the types of regulatory issues that arise in the current environment. We also suggest opportunities for support, such as advances in the way we review and monitor medical technologies.
Highlights
Introduction and structure1.1.1 IntroductionThis introductory section of the Communications Market Report 2013 is divided into seven sections: Key market trends (Section 1.3, page 21)The section summarises developments in the UK’s communications sectors during 2012 and 2013
According to Broadcasters Audience Research Board (BARB), over two-thirds (67%) of the population have a digital video recorders (DVRs) at home, up from 18% in 2007
In order to further evaluate the impact of smartphones, tablets and laptops/netbooks, it is useful to look at some specific media meshing and media stacking activities that lend themselves to using these particular devices, to see if there are any interesting differences in use
Summary
Total UK revenues from telecoms, TV, radio, and post fell for the fourth successive year in 2012. Take-up of smartphones has continued to increase rapidly over the past year, with half of all adults claiming to own one (51%) – equivalent to 56% of mobile users. Half of respondents (49%) said they personally use their mobile phone to access the internet (up from 36% in Q1 2012), driven by growth in the smartphone market, while just 5% of households have access to broadband services via a mobile dongle (down from 13% the previous year). Younger users are more likely to use a mobile phone than a computer for almost all the digital communication methods asked about This included social networking (61% vs 49% respectively); micro blogging (27% vs 16%) and instant messaging (51% vs 36%). 4% of the businesses which spend less than £1000 on post each year predict that the amount of post they send will increase, compared to a third (31%) of the businesses spending more than £5000 each year
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