Medical Privacy and Research

Norman Bradburn

No 109, Working Papers from Harris School of Public Policy Studies, University of Chicago

Abstract: Medical records are increasingly kept in electronic form. The existence of large medical data bases raises new questions about privacy and control over that information. When records exist in a form that they can easily be shared with others, there are legitimate fears about loss of privacy. The paper argues that this fear is not properly an issue of privacy, but concerns the viability of social norms that govern the doctor/patient relationship and the use of medical information that is obtained within that relationship. When medical information is used for research purposes, the information is transformed into data elements and no longer about the individuals. Information obtained either in the ordinary course of providing medical care or in research projects to which individuals have given their informed consent does not require further consent to be used as data in research files as long as it is not individually identifiable. The paper discusses a number of strategies by which data files can be protected from unwanted breaches of confidentiality.

Keywords: medical records; privacy; electronic data; security (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2001-03
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