Objectives: This study aimed to (1) empirically investigate current practices and analyze ethical dimensions of clinical data sharing by health care organizations for uses other than treatment, payment, and operations; and (2) make recommendations to inform research and policy for health care organizations to protect patients' privacy and autonomy when sharing data with unrelated third parties.
Methods: Semistructured interviews and surveys involving 24 informatics leaders from 22 U.S.
A discussion and debate on the American Medical Informatics Association's (AMIA) Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues (ELSI) Working Group listserv in 2021 raised important issues related to a forthcoming conference in Texas. Texas had recently enacted a restrictive abortion law and restricted voting rights. Several AMIA members advocated for a boycott of the state and the scheduled conference.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFYearb Med Inform
August 2020
Objectives: To survey international regulatory frameworks that serve to protect privacy of personal data as a human right as well as to review the literature regarding privacy protections and data ownership in mobile health (mHealth) technologies between January 1, 2016 and June 1, 2019 in order to identify common themes.
Methods: We performed a review of relevant literature available in English published between January 1, 2016 and June 1, 2019 from databases including PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science, as well as relevant legislative background material. Articles out of scope (as detailed below) were eliminated.
The COVID-19 pandemic response in the United States has exposed significant gaps in information systems and processes that prevent timely clinical and public health decision-making. Specifically, the use of informatics to mitigate the spread of SARS-CoV-2, support COVID-19 care delivery, and accelerate knowledge discovery bring to the forefront issues of privacy, surveillance, limits of state powers, and interoperability between public health and clinical information systems. Using a consensus-building process, we critically analyze informatics-related ethical issues in light of the pandemic across 3 themes: (1) public health reporting and data sharing, (2) contact tracing and tracking, and (3) clinical scoring tools for critical care.
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June 2020
Improvements in artificial intelligence and machine learning combined with the availability and exponential growth in individual and population health data offer opportunities for innovative patient/citizen-centered eHealth solutions. However, this confluence of social, technical, and economic interests can result in the privatization of control of patient data and contribute to widening inequity in access to healthcare. This paper explores these issues and advocates for a more equitable approach to advances in health big data for patients and citizens.
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