New Paper: Consent and electronic medical records

AGE Group members discuss research consent and electronic medical records

A new paper published this week by AGE group researchers explores the important topic of consent in using medical records for research. More and more studies use information from electronic medical records for research, and these records allow us to do research that would not be possible otherwise.

For example, in the near future, patients in the UK will have access to their own medical records through apps such as the Great North Care Record’s Patient Portal. These apps may give patients a new way to have a say on what research their medical information can and cannot be used for.  The paper, which is available here (https://informatics.bmj.com/content/27/1/e100128) discusses the pros and cons of these new systems, how to enable the right balance of research and confidentiality, and argues that giving patients a say in how their data are used is vital to keep the trust of the public and so allow this important research to continue.

Last modified: Tue, 21 Jul 2020 08:56:36 BST