Possible Advantages of a Collated Medical Database

Beginning in January 2014, the National Health Service of the UK launched a campaign entitled “Care.data” which proposed an organized medical database that would store patient information. In the Nature editorial “Power to the People,” the author makes a claim that this proposed database would create a threat to security of personal information, and for this reason constituents should have a right to opt out (1). Although this collated database is being criticized by opponents who feel it may be a threat to privacy, new pseudonymization techniques create greater security in patient information. An organized medical database would allow for research opportunities and better patient care that overpower privacy concerns, therefore; patients should not have the right to withhold information from the proposed database.

The National Health Service (NHS) of the UK is the world’s largest publicly funded health service that was formed to provide quality and accessible healthcare to all. By creating a medical database, the NHS believes that they will be able to improve the quality of the health care services that they provide. To address concerns about threats to privacy with the new database collation, the NHS proposed a new method of privacy protection called pseudonymization. With this technique individual patients across different data sets over time are given the same pseudonym (2). A pseudonym is a fake name that is given to an individual to protect his or her true identity. This new technique will replace previous privacy protection techniques and will resolve problems associated with the previous technique. Previous methods involved files that contained identifiable patient information and were not secured. In this new method patients include their date of birth, postcode, NHS Number, and gender. A pseudonym is then given that links these records to a secure system that is managed by the Health and Social Care Information Centre in the UK. Once this information has been linked, a new record will be created that does not contain identifiable patient information (3). This would allow data sets to be linked to patients without directly revealing their personal identities. Because the pseudonymization technique will be effective at protecting personal patient information, patients should not be concerned about a threat to privacy.

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A medical database that contained all patient medical information would create great research opportunity and improved patient care. For health researchers and policymakers, linked medical data will provide means for a better understanding of trends and the impacts of policy initiatives in medical care. This allows an efficient setting to engage in comparative and cost effectiveness research of medical care (4). A collated medical database will also provide a large evidence base. Not only will this large evidence further medical research, but it will also help physicians to learn  from the experiences of other physicians and their patients. The linked medical data will also allow physicians to gain a better understanding of medical trends, which would also help to improve health care (5). Also, due to the enclave, physicians will have access to more complete and accurate patient information. This access will permit physicians to provide better care to patients who are entered into the database because they will have the means to properly diagnose patients based on their previous history. More complete patient information will also enable physicians to more effectively prescribe personalized medicine. A data enclave of medical information, like Care.data will further research advancements in medicine and will also allow physicians to provide better care to patients, which in fact coincides with their main slogan “Better Health Means Better Care” (1).

Although the writer of the Nature editorial “Power to the People” feels that people should have the right to opt out of the Care.data medical database, the database needs all patient information to be effective; therefore, people should not have the right to opt out. If people were allowed to opt out, the intended purpose of the database would not be met because the database would be incomplete. If people were allowed to opt out of having their information stored in the database then there would be less advancement in research, and patients would not receive as optimal care as they would have if the database were complete. An incomplete database would also make it harder for physicians to diagnose patients that chose not to have their information stored in the database. Those patients that opted out would also not be able to receive as in depth personalized care based on physician findings about other patients with similar symptoms and concerns. In order for the medical database to be completely effective, it must contain all patient information; therefore patients should not be allowed to opt out.

The medical database proposed by the National Health Service of the UK would provide means for research advancement, and would also improve quality of patient care. In order for the database to be completely effective, people should not have the right to opt out due to privacy concerns, especially because new pseudonymization techniques provide means for greater security in patient information.


Works Cited

(1) Lusignan, Simon de, and Chris van Weel. "The use of routinely collected computer data for research in primary care: opportunities and challenges." Family Practice. no. 2 (2005): 253-263.

(2) Maillard, Janet. ISO, ""Pseudonymization"- new ISO specification supports privacy in health informatics." Last modified March 10, 2009.

(3) NHS Choices, "Better Information Means Better Care."

(4) Newman, David, Carolina Herrera, Amanda Frost, and Stephen Parente. "The Need For A Smart Approach To Big Health Care Data." Health Affairs (blog), January 27, 2014.

(5) Godsiff, Roger. "The Government must rethink the risks of flowed data-sharing scheme." Pulse, January 31, 2014.

Photo Credits

[1] Photo By: Army Medicine