UK Regulator Updates Guidance on Apps and Medical Devices
UK regulator, MHRA, has updated its guidance on whether a health app should be subject to medical device oversight.
A variety of apps and stand-alone software that are already on the market have so far been classified as medical devices meaning that they fall within the MHRA’s remit.
The apps and software include those that gather data from a person or a diagnostic device, such as diet, heartbeat, or blood glucose levels and then analyse and interpret the data to make a diagnosis, prescribe a medicine or recommend treatment.
John Wilkinson, MHRA’s director of medical devices, said: “We live in an increasingly digital world, both healthcare professionals, patients and the public are using software and stand-alone apps to aid diagnosis and monitor health.
“Where apps or stand-alone software make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment, people should check for CE-marking before using their apps and developers should make sure they are complying with the appropriate medical device regulations.”
Similar to the rest of the EU, software and apps that are defined as medical devices in the UK and must gain a CE mark in accordance with the EU medical device directives to show they are ‘regulated and acceptably safe to use and also perform in the way the manufacturer/ developer intends them to’.
The first health app to be classified as a medical device was the Mersey Burns app, which was developed by doctors at the Mersey Regional Burns and Plastic Surgery Unit. Other apps that also have a CE mark include OncoAssist and Airstrip’s patient monitoring apps.
Releasing the guidance, MHRA stressed that apps that give incorrect diagnoses or prescribe inappropriate treatments could have severe and potentially life-threatening consequences.
Wilkinson added: “Patient safety is our priority. We continue to encourage people to report any safety or performance issues involving medical devices, including apps, to MHRA via our Yellow Card Scheme online.”