Emerging consumers view of secondary uses of medical data

Results of a pilot public opinion survey regarding privacy and secondary uses of medical data are presented. Data was gathered using a self administered household survey. The setting for the survey was regional New South Wales and Darwin, Australia. 482 surveys were distributed in randomly chosen residential blocks. The main outcome measures included respondent views regarding concern for personal privacy and support for secondary uses of medical data for utilitarian purposes. 165 surveys were returned giving a 34.2% response rate. Aspects of the Restricted Access Limited Control theory of privacy were explored via the survey. Results indicate the value of further research to give insight into operationalising RALC to support secondary uses of medical data for health research.