Do the benefits of collecting vast quantities of electronic health data outweigh potential costs to patient privacy and security?

According to many, recent health data initiatives such as care.data and the 100,000 Genomes Project will help to improve patient diagnosis, efficiently utilise healthcare funding and boost academic research to the overall benefit of society. However, concerns have been raised regarding the safe, practical and ethical use of personal health data. Can the NHS data systems efficiently use this data to its potential? Who will have access and can it be hacked or sold to insurance companies and will this lead to discrimination? Can a person truly consent to their data being used in research? What is the best way of informing the public about how their data may be used?

We discussed these issues with our expert panel including Professor Liam Smeeth, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Peter Knight, Department of Health and Sam Smith, MedConfidential. The discussion was chaired by Sharmila Nebhrajani OBE, Chair of the Human Tissue Authority and Director of External Affairs at the Medical Research Council.

You can read our blogpost - published ahead of the event - here, or listen to a highlights podcast and watch the full video of the event below. 

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