Mental health professional perspectives on health data sharing: Mixed methods study

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Behavioral Health
• Data Privacy

Background:

• Patient data access and control are critical in healthcare.
• Understanding healthcare professionals' perspectives on granular data is essential for developing effective health information technologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore behavioral health professionals' perceptions of granular health data access and sharing.
• To identify factors influencing these perceptions, including patient control, data types, and care roles.

Main Methods:

• Conducted semi-structured in-person interviews with 20 behavioral health professionals across two sites.
• Performed both qualitative and quantitative analysis of interview data.
• Examined the influence of care role (prescriber vs. non-prescriber) on data-sharing perceptions.

Main Results:

• 70% of professionals agreed patients should control access to their medical records.
• 65% believe certain health information should never be restricted.
• Key themes included patient sharing motivations, care coordination, comprehension, stigma, trust, and consent process dissatisfaction.

Conclusions:

• Behavioral health professionals advocate for patient data control but recognize nuances in data restrictiveness.
• Findings highlight the need for technologies that balance patient privacy with provider access requirements.
• Understanding professional perspectives is crucial for designing user-centered health data management systems.