Thank God there is no capacity to interrogate GP information (OR ANY
OTHER medical infomation) systems through some centralised data base!!!
SOUNDS LIKE THE STASI!
What price medical confidentiality and patients' informed consent as to
who may see their data and providing info. on the purposes for which
their data will be used???
Centralised data bases of identifiable patient information accessible by
all sorts of people (however worthy they deem their purposes) are NOT a
good idea.
In fact they are an ethically unacceptable idea.
Data bases such as disease registers should contain de-identified but
specific linkable data and no, I don't mean the NHS number!
Only the treating clinician should be able to have access to the code
that identifies the individual patient.
I should be fascinated to have details of the Exeter system and the
processes by which it effectively protects patient privacy whilst
allowing access to specific but de-identified data for valid research,
audit, epidemiology and service planning purposes.
Can anyone out there help me on this one ?? Fleur Fisher
Does anyone out there know the answer?
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