Trust issues impeding health data sharing

A lack of trust between Australian institutions is a bigger impediment to the sharing of health and social welfare data than any inconsistencies in regulatory frameworks, according to new research from Flinders University, Queensland University of Technology and The University of Queensland.

The scoping review analysed published literature to see if regulations are being used to justify not sharing data between institutions and jurisdictions.

But the study found that regulations in different jurisdictions are relatively consistent, with the exception of South Australia and Western Australia.

Instead, the research suggests that the impact of privacy regulations to limit data sharing is due to the perceived rather than actual impact of such regulation. But the study found that sharing data between institutions in different states could result in greater efficiencies of service delivery.

Report lead author Dr James Scheibner, a data and privacy health law expert from Flinders University’s College of Business, Government and Law, said several of the studies imagined instead highlighted a lack of trust among various stakeholders in data-sharing initiatives.

“This lack of trust can lead to stakeholders refusing to contribute to data-sharing initiatives, thereby undermining the consistency of such data,” he said.

As a result, policymakers should focus on coupling initiatives to increase data availability with stakeholder consultation, Scheibner said.

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