Research from Brunel University of London sheds new light on people’s attitude towards sharing their health data and information.
The team of researchers, led by Brunel marketing expert Professor Dorothy Yen, conducted an online survey of over 2,000 adults in England with a mean age of 50. Participants were asked about the acceptability of the NHS sharing their health records with specific organisations, including hospitals and GPs.
Professor Yen said: ‘The results suggest that people evaluate the acceptability of sharing health records based on how doing so could increase the quality of the healthcare they expect to receive…making the benefits clearer could encourage the public to allow their health information or data to be shared effectively and completely.’
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Elsewhere in the research, participants were also asked whether the use of the words ‘data’ or ‘information’ impacted their decision to disclose details about their health.
The words 'data' and 'information' are often used interchangeably, but they may be perceived differently regarding health details. ‘The terminology had a clear impact when the organisation asking for the data was a hospital or GP surgery, and participants were more likely to view sharing details with hospitals and GPs as acceptable or very acceptable when the term “information” was used rather than the term “data”’, explained Prof Yen.
In essence, terminology affects perceptions and influences decision making — and using 'information' could foster better cooperation in healthcare. Prof Yen recommends using 'information' in future communications to encourage people to share their health records.
New study: When are we happy to share our health data? | Brunel University of London
