Achieving veracity: A study of the development and use of an information system for data analysis in preventive healthcare. (September 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mønsted, Troels
• Other Names: Bossen Claus guest-editor.; Pine Kathleen H guest-editor.; Cabitza Federico guest-editor.; Ellingsen Gunnar guest-editor.; Piras Enrico Maria guest-editor.
• Is Part Of: Health informatics journal. Volume 25:Number 3(2019)
• Page Start: 491
• Page End: 499
• Publication Date: 2019-09
• Subjects: clinical decision-making -- data analysis -- preventive healthcare -- qualitative study -- risk behavior change; Medical informatics -- Periodicals; 610.285
• DOI: 10.1177/1460458218796665
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1460-4582

Abstract

Within healthcare, information systems are increasingly developed to enable automatic analysis of the large amounts of data that are accumulated. A prerequisite for the practical use of such data analysis is the veracity of the output, that is, that the analysis is clinically valid. Whereas most research focuses on the technical configuration and clinical precision of data analysis systems, the purpose of this article is to investigate how veracity is achieved in practice. Based on a study of a project in Denmark aimed at developing an algorithm for stratification of citizens in preventive healthcare, this article confirms that achieving veracity requires close attention to the clinical validity of the algorithm. It also concludes, however, that the veracity in practice hinges critically on the citizens' ability to report high-quality data and the ability of the health professionals to interpret the outcome in the context of existing care practices.