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2.4 Exemplary Use Cases

As noted in the Introduction, consumer mobile heath apps take many forms, and as such, conformance statements in section 3 of this standard must allow for variation based on multiple factors, including data sensitivity, the nature of conditions addressed by the app (e.g., wellness, chronic illness), and whether/how app data connect to other data sources.

In this section, three archetypal use cases are introduced. While most consumer mobile health apps will not precisely fit any of these models, the models are meant to demonstrate a continuum of issues which may be applied to any app. Use Case A covers the least sensitive example of a health app that collects user information, while Use Case B builds off of Case A with the inclusion of an external system through which personal data is synchronized with the device. Use Case C is the most sophisticated and generates the most requirements. Its description includes examples of the risk factors that should be considered by developers and users.

Section 3 (Conformance Criteria) includes discussion of considerations as to how subsets of conformance criteria can be addressed in different manners, referencing the use cases in this section as a way to provide directional, rather than pinpoint, guidance.

HL7 CMHAFF Standard Overview and Use Cases

Product Development and Support
CMHAFF Workgroup

Product Development and Support

Functionality, Reliability, and Safety

Prior to marketing a mobile app, the developer has a responsibility to ensure it meets Realm-specific rules and regulations. Although cMHAFF does not have guidelines for all aspects of the software product life cycle, cMHAFF still recommends that the product development life cycle, for new apps and for upgrades to apps, ensure that requirements for functionality, reliability, performance, scalability, safety, compatibility, portability, and maintainability have been addressed, as well as any requirements that relate to aspects that include these items previously described in section 2.2.1:

  • Product Information for consumers (e.g., App Store descriptions, product disclosures)
  • Security
  • Privacy
  • Permission to use device features
  • Data Access
  • Data Sharing
  • Terms of Use, Conditions
  • Product Development, including risk management, user-centered design, compliance with applicable regulations, functions (product description), reliability, performance, scalability, safety, compatibility, and portability.

The security and privacy of information used by the app needs to be considered throughout the development phases of the app. Functionality must support the intended use of the app for the target users and stakeholders. Thorough and iterative risk assessment and requirement analysis, testing, evidence collection, documentation, and configuration management ensures quality to satisfy the needs of the application’s various stakeholders (see the ISO link below). Assessing the usability of the app helps ensure the app’s viability and adoption; testing must be population-relevant and demonstrate reasonable product usability (accessibility) by people with visual, auditory and motor disabilities within the intended target audience. Establishing a system of customer support enables product defects and usability issues to be surfaced in a systematic way and helps problems related to use of the app to be effectively resolved and the developer to continually deliver the intended use of the app.


Note on terms: “Product” is used interchangeably with “app” in cMHAFF conformance statements. Also, “product” is not intended to imply that it is sold commercially: an app is the “work product” of someone developing software for consumer health. Similarly, “Publisher” is used to mean the person or organization that supplies the app to the consumer, typically via an app store. It could also be called “owner” and is not necessarily the same as the “developer” of the app.

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