Anonymising and sharing individual patient data. (20th March 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: El Emam, Khaled; Rodgers, Sam; Malin, Bradley
• Is Part Of: BMJ. Volume 350(2015)
• Publication Date: 2015-03-20
• Subjects: Medicine -- Periodicals; Medicine -- Periodicals; Medicine; Periodicals; 610
• DOI: 10.1136/bmj.h1139
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0007-1447

Abstract

Abstract : There is a strong movement to share individual patient data for secondary purposes, particularly for research. A major obstacle to broad data sharing has been the concern for patient privacy. One of the methods for protecting the privacy of patients in accordance with privacy laws and regulations is to anonymise the data before it is shared. This article describes the key concepts and principles for anonymising health data while ensuring it remains suitable for meaningful analysis.