Yourell Jacqlyn L, McAlister Kelsey L, Beatty Clare C, Huberty Jennifer L
Fit Minded Inc., PO Box 30271, 2901 E Greenway Road, Phoenix, AZ, 85046, United States, 1 6029356986.
J Med Internet Res. 2025 May 16;27:e70711. doi: 10.2196/70711.
Research efforts are growing rapidly in the digital health industry, but with this growth comes increasing ethical challenges. In this viewpoint paper, we leverage over 20 years of combined experience across academia, industry, and digital health to address critical issues related to ethics, specifically privacy policies and institutional review board compliance, which are often misunderstood or misapplied. We examine the purpose of privacy policies and institutional review boards, provide brief examples where companies faced legal and ethical consequences due to shortcomings, and clarify common misconceptions. Finally, we offer recommendations on how digital health companies can improve their ethical practices and ensure compliance in a rapidly evolving landscape.
数字健康行业的研究工作正在迅速发展,但随着这种发展而来的是越来越多的伦理挑战。在这篇观点论文中,我们利用在学术界、行业和数字健康领域超过20年的综合经验,来解决与伦理相关的关键问题,特别是隐私政策和机构审查委员会合规问题,这些问题常常被误解或误用。我们审视了隐私政策和机构审查委员会的目的,提供了一些公司因存在缺陷而面临法律和伦理后果的简短示例,并澄清了常见的误解。最后,我们就数字健康公司如何在快速发展的环境中改进其伦理实践并确保合规提出了建议。