Data Protection

By Helena Marttila-Bridge and Oliver Grazebrook

In recent years healthcare providers around the world have been looking into mobile health or “mHealth” solutions to increase productivity and reduce costs.  Examples of mHealth practices include the increased use of mobile devices by doctors and nurses to access and transmit patient health data and the use of mobile health apps by patients.

Earlier this year, the NHS published a report on mHealth, which shows the potential savings that could be achieved through the widespread adoption of mHealth applications.  According to the report, the trial use of mobile technology by a selection of UK hospitals showed an “improvement in general communication, improved access to clinical information and improved access to IT equipment.”  Importantly, users also showed a greater confidence in the security of the health data and an improvement in clinical safety due to the ready availability of up to date data.
Continue Reading The Rise of mHealth and Privacy Considerations

By Chris Bracebridge

In March 2013, the European Commission published preliminary results of its study of the top ten most burdensome EU laws for SMEs.  Employee-related legislation forms a significant part of that list, and is among the most costly and onerous.

The “top ten” study is part of an initiative — the Regulatory Fitness and Performance Program (REFIT) — launched by the Commission back in December 2012 to ease the regulatory burden on SMEs in Europe.  REFIT aims to scrutinize the European legislative and regulatory framework for gaps, burdens and inconsistencies in order to correct them.  The final results and any recommendations to improve and simplify existing legislation will be announced in June 2013.

In the employment context, the Commission is currently taking the following steps:
Continue Reading European Commission Set to Ease Regulatory Burden on SMEs: Key Implications for Life Sciences Employers