DSCI 321 - Health Analytics Library Research Guide

Always be aware that patient information and data must be treated as private and confidential. Access to and the use of such information is governed by legislative statute and regulation in BC known as E-Health (Personal Health Information Access and Protection of Privacy) Act. 

Deidentifying and anonymizing healthcare data removes or obscures personal identifying information to protect patient privacy while allowing the data to be used for research or other purposes. This can include removing names, addresses, and other direct identifiers and obscuring or removing information that could be used to indirectly identify a patient, such as date of birth or specific medical conditions. This process is important for maintaining patients' trust and ensuring that their personal information is not misused.

In recent years, in response to the data revolution, national statistical organizations (NSOs) have prioritized data access, transparency and openness in their modernization initiatives. The challenge is to find safe and sustainable ways to provide faster and easier access to timely and integrated data compiled from ever-growing sources of increased complexity, along with protecting commitment to confidentiality. Data synthesis is one option that gives users easier access to analytically rich data while making sure that integrity and confidentiality imperatives are respected.