Ethical, Legal, and Technical Considerations for the Development of Digital Twins in Healthcare

Dirk Brand; Sophia Devlin

doi:10.1109/rtsi64020.2025.11212607

Ethical, Legal, and Technical Considerations for the Development of Digital Twins in Healthcare

Dirk Brand
, Sophia Devlin

School of Computing, Eng & Intel. Sys

University of Stellenbosch

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

Abstract

Digital Twin (DT) technology holds transformative potential for healthcare, offering patient-specific models for predictive analytics, real-time simulation, and optimised treatment planning. However, the integration of DTs is constrained by ethical, legal, and technical challenges, including data privacy, consent frameworks, model validation, and regulatory compliance. This paper conducts a comprehensive scoping review, maps current applications in diagnostics, cardiology, and surgery, and proposes a preliminary development framework for healthcare DTs. Results emphasise the need for robust standards, ethical guidelines, and multidisciplinary collaboration to realise the full potential of DTs in real-time, decentralised medical applications.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	2025 IEEE 9th Forum on Research and Technologies for Society and Industry (RTSI)
Publisher	IEEE
Pages	308-313
Number of pages	6
ISBN (Electronic)	979-8-3315-9788-7
ISBN (Print)	979-8-3315-9789-4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1109/rtsi64020.2025.11212607
Publication status	Published online - 28 Oct 2025
Event	2025 IEEE 9th Forum on Research and Technologies for Society and Industry (RTSI) - Tunis , Tunisia Duration: 24 Aug 2025 → 26 Aug 2025

Publication series

Name	2025 IEEE 9th Forum on Research and Technologies for Society and Industry (RTSI)
Publisher	IEEE Control Society
ISSN (Print)	2687-6809
ISSN (Electronic)	2687-6817

Conference

Conference	2025 IEEE 9th Forum on Research and Technologies for Society and Industry (RTSI)
Country/Territory	Tunisia
City	Tunis
Period	24/08/25 → 26/08/25

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 IEEE.

Keywords

Cardiology
Diagnostics
Digital Twins
Ethical Implications
Healthcare
Legal Considerations
Surgical Planning
Technical Challenges

Access to Document

10.1109/rtsi64020.2025.11212607

Cite this

Brand, D., & Devlin, S. (2025). Ethical, Legal, and Technical Considerations for the Development of Digital Twins in Healthcare. In 2025 IEEE 9th Forum on Research and Technologies for Society and Industry (RTSI) (pp. 308-313). (2025 IEEE 9th Forum on Research and Technologies for Society and Industry (RTSI)). IEEE. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1109/rtsi64020.2025.11212607

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abstract = "Digital Twin (DT) technology holds transformative potential for healthcare, offering patient-specific models for predictive analytics, real-time simulation, and optimised treatment planning. However, the integration of DTs is constrained by ethical, legal, and technical challenges, including data privacy, consent frameworks, model validation, and regulatory compliance. This paper conducts a comprehensive scoping review, maps current applications in diagnostics, cardiology, and surgery, and proposes a preliminary development framework for healthcare DTs. Results emphasise the need for robust standards, ethical guidelines, and multidisciplinary collaboration to realise the full potential of DTs in real-time, decentralised medical applications.",

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Brand, D & Devlin, S 2025, Ethical, Legal, and Technical Considerations for the Development of Digital Twins in Healthcare. in 2025 IEEE 9th Forum on Research and Technologies for Society and Industry (RTSI). 2025 IEEE 9th Forum on Research and Technologies for Society and Industry (RTSI), IEEE, pp. 308-313, 2025 IEEE 9th Forum on Research and Technologies for Society and Industry (RTSI), Tunis , Tunisia, 24/08/25. https://doi.org/10.1109/rtsi64020.2025.11212607

Ethical, Legal, and Technical Considerations for the Development of Digital Twins in Healthcare. / Brand, Dirk; Devlin, Sophia.
2025 IEEE 9th Forum on Research and Technologies for Society and Industry (RTSI). IEEE, 2025. p. 308-313 (2025 IEEE 9th Forum on Research and Technologies for Society and Industry (RTSI)).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

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KW - Surgical Planning

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ER -

Ethical, Legal, and Technical Considerations for the Development of Digital Twins in Healthcare

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Keywords

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