Korean Institute Calls For Regulation Of Wearable Health Care Apps

With the popularity of health care apps linked to wearable devices exploding in Korea, a government-affiliated medical research institute in the country is recommending authorities establish guidelines to ensure the apps are accurate, reliable,  and effective.

The Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI) announced this fall it had drafted suggested guidelines on the more than 300,000 such apps it estimates are in circulation in the country. The guidelines include recommendations that the development of such apps be based on clinical evidence and systematic trials, and that their accuracy be verified by independent arbiters.

The draft guidelines are modeled in part on similar verification systems already in use in the United States and many European countries.