Health Academic Research Research Articles

Confidentiality and Confidence: Is Data Aggregation a Means to Achieve Both?

The recent adoption of electronic technologies for use in management of personal health data have been accompanied by a commensurate level of concern about privacy. Public health authorities have been able to continue their full access to personal information, while restricting the information given to academic health researchers through the practice of aggregation. Through this band-aid strategy, there is a very real potential that critical pieces of information are missing for the purposes of research. While this might be a logical sacrifice in order to preserve individual privacy, quantitative analysis of the privacy gained through this method of aggregation shows that little, if any, benefit is achieved. If aggregation were the sole available means to reach the aims of both privacy and research, then further analysis of the practice of aggregation would be unnecessary. Yet suitable privacy protection techniques abound, enabling academic research to progress while adding true protection to individual health information.

The Costs of Safeguarding Privacy: One Research Organization's Experience

While academic health research has always observed strict vigilance in the guardianship of the rich information found in health databases, new legislation faced by all organizations ups the ante even higher. Research organizations like the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences are delving into even more rigorous policies to keep sensitive information secure while preserving the value that dedicated research provides. The costs of implementing privacy protections are of great concern to Canadian researchers. This report discusses basic costs associated with privacy practices undertaken at the Institute.

Health Protection Net

T HE HEALTH PROTECTION BRANC!l (HPB). HEALTH CANADA. is establishing a new electronic bulletin board system (sss), Health Protection Net, as a single point for our partners to access a variety of branch information electronically. This information is currently supplied by four separate bulletin board systems throughout the branch from Food, Drugs. Environmental Health and the Laboratory Centre for Disease Control (Lcoc) Directorates, with Field Operations having input into each system. Each directorate will continue to maintain its information on the new system. As this article goes to press the new system is being configured and tested. Each directorate will commence promoting this new service to its clients in February 1994. The four existing BBSs will run in parallel for a short time until each directorate deems their sss can be closed and transfer of data to the new one is complete. Using information technology is key for the HPB to increase effectiveness and efficiency of service. By establishing Health Protection Net. the branch aims lo communicate with , to disseminate information to and to receive information from our partners in Canada and internationally in a cost-effective manner. Health Protection Net will a lso assist in the interaction, com-dination and flexibility of HPB programs and services and their delivery and will enhance communication and information sharing among HPB's partners. Connection to Health Protection Net can be via a number of computer communication methods, such as direct dial modem, Datapac NUl and, most significantly, Internet. This will open access to the Canadian and international academic health researchers , health industry /manufacturers and the Canadian health care communities. Health Protection Net electronic mail is integrated with HPB and Internet electronic mail, allowing HPB staff to receive automatic notification of mail and attachments sent from the sss and from the Internet. Databases and tex1: information maintained by