Monitoring Ethical Tensions Encountered When Using Digital Health Solutions: Implementation of an Ethicovigilance...

Digital health is transforming healthcare by enhancing accessibility, efficiency, and personalized care. It facilitates telemedicine, provides clinicians with data-driven insights, and streamlines administrative processes to reduce costs and improve patient care. However, challenges persist, including privacy concerns, data security issues, and the risk of exacerbating inequalities. To address these challenges, France's Digital Health Delegation (DNS) developed a Framework for Ethics in Digital Health (CENS), emphasizing principles such as accessibility, transparency, trustworthy AI, and sustainability. Despite this initiative, achieving consistent ethical compliance remains difficult. In response, the DNS launched the Ethicovigilance platform in late 2023, enabling users to report ethical concerns when using digital health solutions. By 2024, 27 reports were collected, with 11 fully investigated. Key issues included unauthorized access to health data, lack of transparency, and insufficient user autonomy. These cases highlight systemic vulnerabilities, such as data misuse and inequitable access. Promoting trust, transparency, inclusivity, and accountability, alongside clear stakeholder responsibilities, is essential to align digital health with ethical standards and improve patient outcomes.