The Operating Theatre Journal - Journal - Page 30
Google’s New Policies for Health
Google is adding a new Health App Policy to its set of requirements
for Health Content and Services. The policy will become effective
at the end of May 2024 and will apply to health apps – medical apps
enhancing medical care and facilitating diagnosis and treatment, health
and 昀椀tness apps enabling users to reach 昀椀tness and wellness goals and
health research apps used for research studies are all classi昀椀ed as
health apps by Google.
The new Health App Policy will also apply to apps that have healthrelated features and access health data, but which are not primarily
health apps (for example, insurance-related apps).
Prominent Disclosures and Privacy Notices
The new policy introduces requirements for the inclusion of
comprehensive content in privacy notices describing the access,
collection, use and sharing of personal data. The policy also includes
requirements for the accessibility, format and location of privacy
notices.
Apps that access health data but which are not primarily health apps
must make clear to users the connection between the app’s core
functionality and the collection of health-related data.
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Other Requirements
Other requirements introduced by the policy include:
• Obtaining a clearance letter or other approval documentation by a
regulator or other responsible body when the app is considered a
medical device or SaMD (Software as a Medical Device)
• Obtaining consent from participants (or, in the case of minors,
parents or guardians) when the app is conducting health-related
subject research, as well as securing approval from an Institutional
Review Board or other independent ethics committee, unless exempt
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• Submitting an eligibility form if the app is being developed under
permission from the government or another healthcare organisation
to develop an app in af昀椀liation with them
in
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Nagia Paraschou
KIMS Hospital at the Top
of the Class!
htps://www.periopera�vecpd.com/
KIMS Hospital becomes the 昀椀rst hospital in Kent to achieve the Association for Perioperative Practice (AfPP) accreditation for their high
standards of patient safety across their 昀椀ve theatres.
Lindsey King, Practice Development Lead Theatres at KIMS Hospital, comments, “We’re proud of the high standards we have in our theatres and
this accreditation recognises the hard work and dedication of our theatre team. Working with AfPP during the Accreditation process has proved
to be useful and rewarding. We work in a culture that is always adapting so the Audit process has helped to embed the high standards which we
set out to adhere to. Patient safety is at the heart of everything we do, we want them to feel safe and well-cared for every step of the way.”
The theatre team achieved accreditation
within a year of starting the process, with the
AfPP visiting the hospital to audit the quality
of care and risk management processes, carry
out interviews with senior and clinical staff,
review surgery policies, and observe surgery
in theatre.
AfPP Consultant, John Tarrant, said: “We
visited the site in Kent twice this year and saw
昀椀rst-hand effective leadership and the high
level of communication from clinical staff to
senior management. The level of respect and
support KIMS Hospital staff show each other
is to be commended and we are delighted to
have awarded them their accreditation for
their commitment to patient safety.”
KIMS Hospital is the largest independent
hospital in Kent, carrying out almost 10,000
surgeries in the past year.
The Association for Perioperative Practice
30
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