Research data use in a digital society: a deliberative public engagement

Sources of public and private data and ways to link them continue to evolve. This offers new opportunities for research, and new reasons for data-holding organisations to form partnerships. While research using these data can be beneficial, there is also a potential for negative consequences for some individuals or groups, including unintended or unanticipated effects. It is important to consult the public on how we might achieve both opportunities to link different types of data for research purposes, and protections against the misuse of data and the possibility of negative consequences.

Combining data sources for research was the topic of four days of deliberation held in British Columbia, Canada in late 2019. Public deliberation events bring diverse groups of people together to give direct input to policy makers, through carefully structured in-depth discussion on issues that are controversial and/or a source of public concern. Participants discussed whether data from electronic medical records should be used for research purposes, whether it is acceptable to combine data from public and private sources, who should authorise its use in research, and how a public advisory group on data use might be structured.

Over four days, 29 residents of BC developed 17 deliberative conclusions that can be grouped into four broad topic areas: balancing benefit and potential harms when linking data; the protections that are expected to govern use of data; the type of authorisation required; and how the public should be involved in an ongoing way. Overall, the public is very supportive of research as long as oversight and controls are in place, including ongoing input from members of the public.

Deliberative conclusions from this event provide essential public input on the use of linked data for research, in particular when those data come from multiple sources. This is important information as policy-makers continue to develop legislation and practices around the use and linkage of both public and private sources of data.