A Transatlantic Perspective on Regulating Health Information

Abstract

This article details the major issues faced by US regulators concerned with health information; the quality of publicly available health information, cross border medical and pharmacy practice, and privacy of records. It is suggested that it is both appropriate and practical to shift regulatory emphasis away from the quality of advice given on the Internet. Outdated, inaccurate, fraudulent, or even dangerous information on the web is notoriously difficult to regulate. Rather, it is argued that regulatory energies are better devoted to pressing health information problems that are soluble, such as Balkanised approaches to regulating cross border health interactions and the security and privacy of personal medical information.