{"id":2425,"date":"2024-10-03T09:48:43","date_gmt":"2024-10-03T09:48:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmjsrh\/?p=2425"},"modified":"2024-10-04T11:17:01","modified_gmt":"2024-10-04T11:17:01","slug":"recommending-femtech-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmjsrh\/2024\/10\/03\/recommending-femtech-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Recommending Privately Developed FemTech in Healthcare Part 2: Understanding Healthcare Professionals\u2019 Responsibilities"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: right\"><em>By <span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW211110526 BCX0\">Anna Nelson, Maria <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW211110526 BCX0\">Tzanou<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW211110526 BCX0\"> and <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW211110526 BCX0\">Tsachi<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW211110526 BCX0\"> Keren-Paz<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In the previous blog, we introduced the issues associated with <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">healthcare professionals (HCPs) recommending privately-developed FemTech apps. In this second blog, we turn our attention to regulatory considerations associated with this practice. There are two distinct questions which could be asked here: (1) whether HCPs should recommend these apps <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">at all<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, (2) where HCPs <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">do <\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">recommend these apps, what are their associated responsibilities. Given the popularity of FemTech apps, and the realities of their use for healthcare purposes, for pragmatic reasons we will address the latter question.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Data Protection<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Ensuring that patient information is kept confidential and safe is an important component of medical practice &#8211; and is necessary for<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theaccessgroup.com\/en-gb\/blog\/hsc-how-secure-patient-data\/#:~:text=Securing%20patient%20data%20is%20a,for%20accurate%20and%20effective%20healthcare.\"><span data-contrast=\"none\"> maintaining trust<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> in the healthcare system. Given the privacy concerns associated with FemTech apps, one may assume that data protection law would give rise to relevant obligations. However, under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (the primary source of such data protection obligations) HCPs recommending FemTech apps to patients are not controllers because they are not deemed to \u2018determine the purposes and means of the processing of personal data\u2019, nor do they process the personal data themselves. As such, they do not have obligations imposed upon them under data protection law. However, we note that the GDPR nonetheless provides useful guidance when considering what is important to assess in terms of privacy and security of FemTech apps. For example, <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">the UK GDPR includes<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/ico.org.uk\/for-organisations\/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources\/data-protection-principles\/a-guide-to-the-data-protection-principles\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\"> several data protection principles<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> which could aid with the process of evaluating the risk to (individual) patient\u2019s which might arise from the use of a femtech app.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Tort Law<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">A second avenue of potential liability arises from <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/plato.stanford.edu\/entries\/tort-theories\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">tort law<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, a branch of civil law focussed on wrongdoing between two private persons (as opposed to between a person and the state).\u00a0 Could a HCP be liable in tort for harms from the use of a recommended app? Three distinctions are relevant here: (1) between <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">physical harms (relating to functionality) and privacy harms; (2) between primary and secondary liability (establishing the latter depends on finding a third party liable as a primary defendant. where the defendant\u2019s liability is accessory); and (3) between different understandings of the right analogy to the app\u2019s controller &#8211; as a defective product or as a contractor. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Negligent reliance by HCP on the data gathered by FemTech apps to make diagnostic and treatment decisions might be a breach of a duty of care and lead to liability under negligence, given concerns about apps\u2019 <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/full\/10.1080\/00346764.2021.2018027\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">staggering lack of accuracy<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201d<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. The more interesting, and contested, question is liability for <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/ico.org.uk\/for-organisations\/report-a-breach\/personal-data-breach\/personal-data-breaches-a-guide\/#whatisa\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">data breach<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> by a recommended app. If the doctor recommends a defective product whose use causes a physical injury, they should be liable, notwithstanding the possible liability of the manufacturer. This is so, provided that a competent doctor would have been aware of the risk, so would either have avoided recommending the product, or at least have warned against that risk, or against a certain way to use the product. Rather, the problem is that <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/medlaw\/article-abstract\/26\/4\/585\/4966152?redirectedFrom=fulltext\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">privacy harms are not actionable in negligence.<\/span><\/a><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Though doctors are not data controllers for the purposes of data protection <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem\" data-contrast=\"auto\">law, they do owe their patients equitable common law obligations of confidentiality and privacy. This includes an obligation to keep the information<\/span> <a style=\"background-color: #ffffff;font-size: 1rem\" href=\"https:\/\/www.medicalprotection.org\/ireland\/booklets\/medical-records-in-ireland-an-mps-guide\/confidentiality-of-records\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">secure<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-size: 1rem\" data-contrast=\"auto\">.\u00a0 If the controller is conceptualised as a contractor helping the doctor to discharge their duty to diagnose, possibly the doctrine of<\/span> <a style=\"background-color: #ffffff;font-size: 1rem\" href=\"https:\/\/atlanticchambers.co.uk\/non-delegable-duties-and-vicarious-liability-in-negligence-following-hughes-v-rattan-2022-ewca-civ-107\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">non-delegable duty<\/span><\/a> <span style=\"font-size: 1rem\" data-contrast=\"auto\">is applicable, so the controller\u2019s data breach will be attributed to the doctor. Alternatively, possibly, as the app is recommended by the doctor as a diagnostic tool and is insecure, this may amount to a direct breach of confidence. The counter argument to this would be that the information on the app is not a medical record possessed by the doctor, thus a direct breach cannot be established (see: Case Study A).<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem\" data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p align=\"center\"><b>Case Study A<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>\u00a0<\/b>Bee\u2019s doctor suspects that she suffers from Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (<a title=\"Original URL: https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?q=pmdd&amp;oq=PMDD&amp;aqs=chrome.0.0i131i433i512j0i433i512l3j0i512l3j69i61.816j0j7&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8. Click or tap if you trust this link.\" href=\"https:\/\/eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dpmdd%26oq%3DPMDD%26aqs%3Dchrome.0.0i131i433i512j0i433i512l3j0i512l3j69i61.816j0j7%26sourceid%3Dchrome%26ie%3DUTF-8&amp;data=05%7C02%7CAnna.Harvey%40newcastle.ac.uk%7C03feaa9d1aef4ffd00fc08dcdec459f3%7C9c5012c9b61644c2a91766814fbe3e87%7C1%7C0%7C638630182114799030%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=HnHfWyQdq0%2FeVANmyWJRsUMHK9kIci1CBDBY1HRWE2U%3D&amp;reserved=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-auth=\"Verified\" data-linkindex=\"0\" data-ogsc=\"blue\">PMDD<\/a>). Obtaining a PMDD diagnosis involves the patient keeping\u00a0<a title=\"Original URL: https:\/\/cks.nice.org.uk\/topics\/premenstrual-syndrome\/#!diagnosis. Click or tap if you trust this link.\" href=\"https:\/\/eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcks.nice.org.uk%2Ftopics%2Fpremenstrual-syndrome%2F%23!diagnosis&amp;data=05%7C02%7CAnna.Harvey%40newcastle.ac.uk%7C03feaa9d1aef4ffd00fc08dcdec459f3%7C9c5012c9b61644c2a91766814fbe3e87%7C1%7C0%7C638630182114818642%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=CE2p8LHKahba7UrHKVfFcNyM1VLWwm0uUuoiJrWBB08%3D&amp;reserved=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-auth=\"Verified\" data-linkindex=\"1\" data-ogsc=\"blue\">a diary of their symptoms<\/a>\u00a0for a number of months. Bee\u2019s doctor suggests that it might be easiest for her to download a menstrual tracking app from the App Store in order to keep this diary \u2013 noting that a number of commercially available trackers have a function allowing you to produce a \u2018doctors report\u2019 detailing the inputted data.<\/p>\n<p>One could argue that this app is being used as a diagnostic tool by the doctor or that this is merely a convenient means for the patient to collate their data which will\u00a0<i>then<\/i>\u00a0be used by the doctor for diagnosis; arguably, on the latter interpretation, the doctor has no professional obligations, at least not for breach of confidence, regarding the data in the app.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Professional Regulation<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Finally, all healthcare professionals practising in the NHS are subject to<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gmc-uk.org\/professional-standards\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">professional standards<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> \u2013 failure to conform to which can result in disciplinary action being taken by the relevant regulator (for doctors, the General Medical Council). Matters pertaining to data protection, privacy and standard of care are also <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">of <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">relevan<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">t<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">ce<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> in the context of professional regulation.\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Doctors are required to take the same care<\/span> <span data-contrast=\"auto\">when<\/span> <span data-contrast=\"auto\">recommending digital health tools \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.england.nhs.uk\/long-read\/medical-devices-and-digital-tools\/#:~:text=Prescribing%20and%20medical%20devices,do%20when%20issuing%20traditional%20prescriptions.\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">as they do when issuing traditional prescriptions.\u201d<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> The requirement that doctors<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gmc-uk.org\/-\/media\/documents\/good-medical-practice-2024---english-102607294.pdf\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cpropose\u2026effective treatments based on the best available evidence\u201d<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> requires ensuring that any digital health tool is<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.england.nhs.uk\/long-read\/medical-devices-and-digital-tools\/#:~:text=Prescribing%20and%20medical%20devices,do%20when%20issuing%20traditional%20prescriptions.\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cis safe, indicated, effective, and regulated so that any risks are mitigated\u201d<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. Similarly, doctors must use their clinical expertise in determining \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gmc-uk.org\/-\/media\/documents\/good-medical-practice-2024---english-102607294.pdf\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">suitable<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201d diagnostic investigation, ensuring these \u201cmeet the needs of the patient\u201d. This raises an important question; what level of knowledge and evidence about, and understanding of, a particular app is (or should be) required before this can be appropriately recommended by a healthcare profession?\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Good Medical Practice also makes clear that medical professionals have a duty to<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gmc-uk.org\/professional-standards\/professional-standards-for-doctors\/good-medical-practice\/the-duties-of-medical-professionals-registered-with-the-gmc\"><span data-contrast=\"none\"> &#8220;protect patients\u2019 personal information from improper disclosure.&#8221;<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> Likewise, the Nursing and Midwifery Council Code emphasises the need to<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nmc.org.uk\/globalassets\/sitedocuments\/nmc-publications\/nmc-code.pdf\"><span data-contrast=\"none\"> \u201crespect a person\u2019s right to privacy in all aspects of their care<\/span><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nmc.org.uk\/globalassets\/sitedocuments\/nmc-publications\/nmc-code.pdf\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201d<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.\u00a0 Arguably, recommending that a patient uses an app without first assessing the adequacy of its privacy policy may result in a failure to fulfil this duty to protect patient information.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Whose Responsibility: The clinician\u2019s or the NHS\u2019s?:\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In considering how to respond to the different legal and regulatory issues identified in the blogs, the following question presents itself: Does the responsibility for vetting apps which are recommended by individual clinicians lie with the relevant NHS <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">b<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">ody, or with the clinician themselves? Greater clarity on this issue is needed to protect the interests of both patients and clinicians. This relates to the distinction between <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk\/id\/eprint\/80649\/2\/Published_Version.pdf\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">direct<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oxfordreference.com\/display\/10.1093\/oi\/authority.20110803115632176#:~:text=Quick%20Reference,is%20not%20personally%20at%20fault.\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">vicarious<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> liability and the proper identification of the individuals whose acts and omissions are the basis of imposing responsibility on the NHS body and who might be subject to disciplinary proceedings.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Conclusion<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The privacy policies associated with FemTech apps and wearables are often long and complex, as <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sheffield.ac.uk\/law\/research\/centres-and-institutes\/sciel\/projects\/femtech-surveillance-gendered-digital-harms-and-regulatory-approaches\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">our review of 45 apps<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> demonstrated. Given that healthcare services are <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/gp-crisis-how-did-things-go-so-wrong-and-what-needs-to-change-208197\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">increasingly under-resourced<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, careful consideration needs to be given about how to create usable and efficient mechanisms to ensure that HCPs are appropriately informed about the data practices of specific privately-developed FemTech Apps. Furthermore, HCPs responsibilities regarding recommending privately-developed FemTech apps need to be made clear, for both their own sake and the sake of their patients.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em><strong>About the Authors\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Anna Nelson<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> (she \/ her) is <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">currently <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">a <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Postdoctoral Research Associate on the Leverhulme-funded \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sheffield.ac.uk\/law\/research\/centres-and-institutes\/sciel\/projects\/femtech-surveillance-gendered-digital-harms-and-regulatory-approaches\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">FemTech<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\"> Surveillance: Gendered Digital Harms and Regulatory Approaches<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201d project at the University of Sheffield. She <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">holds a PhD in Bioethics and Medical Jurisprudence from the University of Manchester, and has wider research interests in law and childbirth, <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">rep<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">roductive technology<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> and gendered experiences of healthcare.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Tsachi<\/span><\/b><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> Keren-Paz<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> is Professor of Private Law in the School of Law at the University of Sheffield.<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> He is a Co-I<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">nvestigator<\/span> <span data-contrast=\"auto\">of<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> the Leverhulme <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sheffield.ac.uk\/law\/research\/centres-and-institutes\/sciel\/projects\/femtech-surveillance-gendered-digital-harms-and-regulatory-approaches\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">FemTech<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> Sur<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">veillance Project<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">and <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">the author of three monographs: <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Torts, Egalitarianism and Distributive Justice<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> (<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Ashgate, <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">2007), <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Trafficking: A Private Law Response<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> (Routledge, 2013)<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> and <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Egalitarian Digital Privacy: Image Based Abuse and Beyond<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> (BUP, 2023).\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Maria <\/span><\/b><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Tzanou<\/span><\/b> <span data-contrast=\"auto\">is a Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Sheffield, UK. Her research focuses on privacy, data protection, AI, surveillance and the regulation of emerging technologies. She is the<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> Principle <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Investigator o<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">f<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> the Leverhulme <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sheffield.ac.uk\/law\/research\/centres-and-institutes\/sciel\/projects\/femtech-surveillance-gendered-digital-harms-and-regulatory-approaches\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">FemTech<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> Surveillance Project<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">More info<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">rmation about the Femtech project can be found here: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sheffield.ac.uk\/law\/research\/centres-and-institutes\/sciel\/projects\/femtech-surveillance-gendered-digital-harms-and-regulatory-approaches\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">https:\/\/www.sheffield.ac.uk\/law\/research\/centres-and-institutes\/sciel\/projects\/femtech-surveillance-gendered-digital-harms-and-regulatory-approaches<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span><!--TrendMD v2.4.8--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Anna Nelson, Maria Tzanou and Tsachi Keren-Paz In the previous blog, we introduced the issues associated with healthcare professionals (HCPs) recommending privately-developed FemTech apps. In this second blog, we turn our attention to regulatory considerations associated with this practice. There are two distinct questions which could be asked here: (1) whether HCPs should recommend [&#8230;]<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"btn btn-secondary understrap-read-more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmjsrh\/2024\/10\/03\/recommending-femtech-part-2\/\">Read More&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":472,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[599],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2425","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-screening"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Recommending Privately Developed FemTech in Healthcare Part 2: Understanding Healthcare Professionals\u2019 Responsibilities - BMJ Sexual &amp; Reproductive Health blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmjsrh\/2024\/10\/03\/recommending-femtech-part-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Recommending Privately Developed FemTech in Healthcare Part 2: Understanding Healthcare Professionals\u2019 Responsibilities - BMJ Sexual &amp; Reproductive Health blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Anna Nelson, Maria Tzanou and Tsachi Keren-Paz In the previous blog, we introduced the issues associated with healthcare professionals (HCPs) recommending privately-developed FemTech apps. 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