Abstract
Access to datasets of personal health information held by government agencies is essential to support public health research and to promote evidence-based public health policy development. Privacy legislation in Australia allows the use and disclosure of such information for public health research. However, access is not always forthcoming in a timely manner and the decision-making process undertaken by government data custodians is not always transparent. Given the public benefit in research using these health information datasets, this article suggests that it is time to recognise a right of access for approved research and that the decisions, and decision-making processes, of government data custodians should be subject to increased scrutiny. The article concludes that researchers should have an avenue of external review where access to information has been denied or unduly delayed.
| Language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages | 957-972 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Journal | Journal of law and medicine |
| Volume | 21 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Publication status | Published - 2014 |
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Government databases and public health research : facilitating access in the public interest. / Adams, Carolyn; Allen, Judy.
In: Journal of law and medicine, Vol. 21, No. 4, 2014, p. 957-972.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - Government databases and public health research
T2 - Journal of law and medicine
AU - Adams, Carolyn
AU - Allen, Judy
PY - 2014
Y1 - 2014
N2 - Access to datasets of personal health information held by government agencies is essential to support public health research and to promote evidence-based public health policy development. Privacy legislation in Australia allows the use and disclosure of such information for public health research. However, access is not always forthcoming in a timely manner and the decision-making process undertaken by government data custodians is not always transparent. Given the public benefit in research using these health information datasets, this article suggests that it is time to recognise a right of access for approved research and that the decisions, and decision-making processes, of government data custodians should be subject to increased scrutiny. The article concludes that researchers should have an avenue of external review where access to information has been denied or unduly delayed.
AB - Access to datasets of personal health information held by government agencies is essential to support public health research and to promote evidence-based public health policy development. Privacy legislation in Australia allows the use and disclosure of such information for public health research. However, access is not always forthcoming in a timely manner and the decision-making process undertaken by government data custodians is not always transparent. Given the public benefit in research using these health information datasets, this article suggests that it is time to recognise a right of access for approved research and that the decisions, and decision-making processes, of government data custodians should be subject to increased scrutiny. The article concludes that researchers should have an avenue of external review where access to information has been denied or unduly delayed.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84906898819&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Article
VL - 21
SP - 957
EP - 972
JO - Journal of law and medicine
JF - Journal of law and medicine
SN - 1320-159X
IS - 4
ER -