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Published in: Health and Technology 3/2021

16-03-2021 | Original Paper

Assessing the potential use of blockchain technology to improve the sharing of public health data in a western Canadian province

Authors: Sarah Murphy, Paul Reilly, Teresa Murphy

Published in: Health and Technology | Issue 3/2021

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Abstract

This exploratory, qualitative study set out to identify the encountered and perceived barriers to public health (PH) data sharing in a Canadian province with a view to assessing blockchain technology as a potential solution. A topic guide was developed, based on previous research in the area. This was then utilised for ten in-depth, semi-structured interviews with PH professionals between 27 May and 18 June 2019. Each stage of research was congruent with the philosophical underpinning of Gadamerian hermeneutic phenomenology. The major themes that emerged from the data collected were related to the information systems in use, data quality and ownership, as well as client identity management. The recurring core theme throughout all interviews was related to ineffective leadership and management, contributing to each major theme. Overwhelmingly the results show that the majority of barriers faced in this province are human-related. It is concluded that while blockchain technology shows promise for enhancing data sharing in healthcare, it is still many years away from being implemented in this Canadian province. As the results of this study indicate, there are human related barriers that could be addressed in the meantime, which are outside the scope of a technical solution. Future work should explore the perspectives of other stakeholders, such as the provincial government to fully understand the potential for using blockchain to share PH data in this province.

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Metadata
Title
Assessing the potential use of blockchain technology to improve the sharing of public health data in a western Canadian province
Authors
Sarah Murphy
Paul Reilly
Teresa Murphy
Publication date
16-03-2021
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
Health and Technology / Issue 3/2021
Print ISSN: 2190-7188
Electronic ISSN: 2190-7196
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12553-021-00539-5

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