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Hauptverfasser: Kelshiker, Akshay, Cheng, Susan, Achar, Jivan, Celi, Leo Anthony, Jain, Divya, Nguyen, Thinh, Patel, Harsh, Prakash, Nina, Wong, Alice, Evans, Barbara
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2025
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Online-Zugang:https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.20031
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author Kelshiker, Akshay
Cheng, Susan
Achar, Jivan
Celi, Leo Anthony
Jain, Divya
Nguyen, Thinh
Patel, Harsh
Prakash, Nina
Wong, Alice
Evans, Barbara
author_facet Kelshiker, Akshay
Cheng, Susan
Achar, Jivan
Celi, Leo Anthony
Jain, Divya
Nguyen, Thinh
Patel, Harsh
Prakash, Nina
Wong, Alice
Evans, Barbara
contents As wearable health technologies have grown more sophisticated, the distinction between "wellness" and "medical" devices has become increasingly blurred. While some features undergo formal U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) review, many over-the-counter tools operate in a regulatory grey zone, leveraging health-related data and outputs without clinical validation. Further complicating the issue is the widespread repurposing of wellness devices for medical uses, which can introduce safety risks beyond the reach of current oversight. Drawing on legal analysis, case studies, and ethical considerations, we propose an approach emphasizing distributed risk, patient-centered outcomes, and iterative reform. Without a more pluralistic and evolving framework, the promise of wearable health technology risks being undermined by growing inequities, misuse, and eroded public trust.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2508_20031
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Bridging the Regulatory Divide: Ensuring Safety and Equity in Wearable Health Technologies
Kelshiker, Akshay
Cheng, Susan
Achar, Jivan
Celi, Leo Anthony
Jain, Divya
Nguyen, Thinh
Patel, Harsh
Prakash, Nina
Wong, Alice
Evans, Barbara
Computers and Society
As wearable health technologies have grown more sophisticated, the distinction between "wellness" and "medical" devices has become increasingly blurred. While some features undergo formal U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) review, many over-the-counter tools operate in a regulatory grey zone, leveraging health-related data and outputs without clinical validation. Further complicating the issue is the widespread repurposing of wellness devices for medical uses, which can introduce safety risks beyond the reach of current oversight. Drawing on legal analysis, case studies, and ethical considerations, we propose an approach emphasizing distributed risk, patient-centered outcomes, and iterative reform. Without a more pluralistic and evolving framework, the promise of wearable health technology risks being undermined by growing inequities, misuse, and eroded public trust.
title Bridging the Regulatory Divide: Ensuring Safety and Equity in Wearable Health Technologies
topic Computers and Society
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.20031