Protecting the privacy of individual general practice patient electronic records for geospatial epidemiology research
Abstract Background: General practitioner (GP) practices in Australia are increasingly storing patient information in electronic databases. These practice databases can be accessed by clinical audit software to generate reports that inform clinical or population health decision making and public hea...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2014-12-01
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| Series: | Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1111/1753-6405.12262 |
| _version_ | 1797764225076035584 |
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| author | Soumya Mazumdar Paul Konings Michael Hewett Nasser Bagheri Ian McRae Peter Del Fante |
| author_facet | Soumya Mazumdar Paul Konings Michael Hewett Nasser Bagheri Ian McRae Peter Del Fante |
| author_sort | Soumya Mazumdar |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background: General practitioner (GP) practices in Australia are increasingly storing patient information in electronic databases. These practice databases can be accessed by clinical audit software to generate reports that inform clinical or population health decision making and public health surveillance. Many audit software applications also have the capacity to generate de‐identified patient unit record data. However, the de‐identified nature of the extracted data means that these records often lack geographic information. Without spatial references, it is impossible to build maps reflecting the spatial distribution of patients with particular conditions and needs. Links to socioeconomic, demographic, environmental or other geographically based information are also not possible. In some cases, relatively coarse geographies such as postcode are available, but these are of limited use and researchers cannot undertake precision spatial analyses such as calculating travel times. Methods: We describe a method that allows researchers to implement meaningful mapping and spatial epidemiological analyses of practice level patient data while preserving privacy. Results: This solution has been piloted in a diabetes risk research project in the patient population of a practice in Adelaide. Conclusions and Implications: The method offers researchers a powerful means of analysing geographic clinic data in a privacy‐protected manner. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T19:52:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-04f67514cddc41468998fe2679a1c10a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1326-0200 1753-6405 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T19:52:36Z |
| publishDate | 2014-12-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-04f67514cddc41468998fe2679a1c10a2023-08-02T02:58:10ZengElsevierAustralian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health1326-02001753-64052014-12-0138654855210.1111/1753-6405.12262Protecting the privacy of individual general practice patient electronic records for geospatial epidemiology researchSoumya Mazumdar0Paul Konings1Michael Hewett2Nasser Bagheri3Ian McRae4Peter Del Fante5Australian Primary Healthcare Research Institute, Australian National University, Australian Capital TerritoryAustralian Primary Healthcare Research Institute, Australian National University, Australian Capital TerritoryAustralian Primary Healthcare Research Institute, Australian National University, Australian Capital TerritoryAustralian Primary Healthcare Research Institute, Australian National University, Australian Capital TerritoryAustralian Primary Healthcare Research Institute, Australian National University, Australian Capital TerritoryHealthfirst Network South AustraliaAbstract Background: General practitioner (GP) practices in Australia are increasingly storing patient information in electronic databases. These practice databases can be accessed by clinical audit software to generate reports that inform clinical or population health decision making and public health surveillance. Many audit software applications also have the capacity to generate de‐identified patient unit record data. However, the de‐identified nature of the extracted data means that these records often lack geographic information. Without spatial references, it is impossible to build maps reflecting the spatial distribution of patients with particular conditions and needs. Links to socioeconomic, demographic, environmental or other geographically based information are also not possible. In some cases, relatively coarse geographies such as postcode are available, but these are of limited use and researchers cannot undertake precision spatial analyses such as calculating travel times. Methods: We describe a method that allows researchers to implement meaningful mapping and spatial epidemiological analyses of practice level patient data while preserving privacy. Results: This solution has been piloted in a diabetes risk research project in the patient population of a practice in Adelaide. Conclusions and Implications: The method offers researchers a powerful means of analysing geographic clinic data in a privacy‐protected manner.https://doi.org/10.1111/1753-6405.12262privacyGeographical Information Systems (GIS)geospatialgeneral practice (GP) data collectionAustraliade‐identified data |
| spellingShingle | Soumya Mazumdar Paul Konings Michael Hewett Nasser Bagheri Ian McRae Peter Del Fante Protecting the privacy of individual general practice patient electronic records for geospatial epidemiology research Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health privacy Geographical Information Systems (GIS) geospatial general practice (GP) data collection Australia de‐identified data |
| title | Protecting the privacy of individual general practice patient electronic records for geospatial epidemiology research |
| title_full | Protecting the privacy of individual general practice patient electronic records for geospatial epidemiology research |
| title_fullStr | Protecting the privacy of individual general practice patient electronic records for geospatial epidemiology research |
| title_full_unstemmed | Protecting the privacy of individual general practice patient electronic records for geospatial epidemiology research |
| title_short | Protecting the privacy of individual general practice patient electronic records for geospatial epidemiology research |
| title_sort | protecting the privacy of individual general practice patient electronic records for geospatial epidemiology research |
| topic | privacy Geographical Information Systems (GIS) geospatial general practice (GP) data collection Australia de‐identified data |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1111/1753-6405.12262 |
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