Sharing Government Health Data With the Private Sector: Community Attitudes Survey.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Informatics
• Bioethics

Background:

• Secondary use of government health data is increasing for various purposes.
• Public interest in health data sharing, especially with the private sector, is growing.
• International data shows public support for secondary data use, but not for private sector sharing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore Australian public attitudes towards sharing government health data with private companies.
• To understand public views on private sector involvement in health research and development.

Main Methods:

• A national web-based survey was conducted in Australia.
• A market research company administered the survey to 2537 participants in June 2019.

Main Results:

• 51.8%–57.98% of participants were willing to share health data, with higher support for R&D (57.98%) than service improvement (51.99%).
• A preference for opt-in consent (53.44%) and strong support for conditions on data sharing (62%–91.99%) were observed.
• Significant concerns were raised regarding private sector motives, data security, and government oversight capacity.

Conclusions:

• Australians exhibit uncertainty regarding sharing health data with the private sector.
• Public support is conditional, emphasizing strict controls, opt-in consent, and addressing concerns about private sector data management.
• Enhanced public engagement is crucial to build trust and understanding of government health data collection, sharing, and usage policies.