Investigating Decision Factors Affecting Subjective Description Disclosure in Health Information Exchange in Japan

Despite the perceived advantages of health information exchange (HIE), their utilization has been stagnant, and a detailed survey at the regional level is needed to address this issue. We conducted interviews with operators of HIEs in operation in Japan as a pilot study and found that subjective descriptions by healthcare professionals contained in clinical notes are frequently referenced in HIEs. Currently, however, only a limited number of medical institutions in Japan disclose subjective descriptions. In this study, we aim to clarify the factors that influence whether or not to disclose subjective descriptions through an interview survey. Although the final results are yet to be determined, it is anticipated that the non-disclosing medical institutions will show negative aspects of disclosure, such as privacy concerns and misuse of information. Addressing the concerns raised in this study is important for the future dissemination of HIE.