Integrating Patient-Generated Health Data Throughout the Total Product Life Cycle of Medical Devices

Nearly ubiquitous use of personal electronics, wearable sensors, and other types of digital health technologies, along with wireless connectivity, makes the capture of health data directly from an individual easier, enabling the use of patient-generated health data (PGHD) as a potential bridge between a patient’s home and the healthcare system. This type of real-world data may be a completely new type of information, or it may be a more frequent collection of traditional information over longer time periods to form a longitudinal view of a patient’s health status that can inform decision-making in clinical, medical product regulatory, and coverage and reimbursement settings. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) has been exploring and advancing the collection and use of PGHD since 2016, hosting a public meeting on the topic in May 2021. This manuscript presents highlights from various discussions at this meeting including those on the importance of stakeholder engagement, characteristics of high data quality, and PGHD in practice in patient-driven registries, as well as a look forward to some of the opportunities in the field.