A government adviser has warned that wearable medical devices could severely endanger health.
According to the Telegraph, Tony Dyhouse, director at the government-led Trustworthy Software Initiative, claimed that companies choosing to focus on innovation as opposed to reliability could cause serious issues in the health market.
"Even major vendors are sacrificing quality for quantity in their drive to rush a constant stream of updated and new applications to market, with software being created with an unacceptable number of vulnerabilities, storing up problems for the future," Dyhouse said.
He singled out devices that collect vital biological data as particular potential hazards, as the slightest error could endanger a patient.
"With applications now available to monitor everything from blood-pressure to skin temperature, this has worrying implications. Undoubtedly there are many benefits we can obtain from such real-time and regular access to our biological data. However as we become more dependent on such technologies to regulate our health, poorly written software could expose us to devastating new threats.
"The real question is whether manufacturers are prepared to put customer confidence and safety before market pressures."
The health claims of wearable devices have been under scrutiny recently. In the US, the FDA recently announced that it will regulate wearables that make specific medical claims, while in the UK, the NHS director suggested the technology could spur a "revolution in self-care."
