Public opinions and behaviour around health data in the GDPR era
With data privacy playing a larger role in both the public conversation and the legal environment with the implementation of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in May 2018, it is critical to understand how popular views on health data are evolving. Research conducted by Decision Resources Group (DRG) suggests that the public, as well as doctors, are open to sharing health data if they have clarity on when and how it is collected and used.
These findings come from the 2018 iterations of DRG’s annual surveys on consumer and physician digital behaviour, preferences, and needs across the EU5 countries of France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK. Data comes from 600 online adults surveyed in each country in September 2018, and approximately 285 physicians per country questioned in July 2018. The statistical technique called weighting was applied to all datasets to ensure results are representative of the full population, not just the people who responded.
The public’s privacy concerns are greater around health details than with other personal data
Research findings illustrate the importance of data security for personal health information: 45% of the public across France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK say they are more concerned about keeping health data private than they are with other types of personal data. This includes most of the population in France (56%) and Spain (52%), with less anxiety reported in Italy (33%).
Consumers report moderate awareness, but limited in-depth knowledge, of GDPR
As of September 2018, more than two-thirds of online adults in EU5 countries claimed they had heard of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR); awareness was highest in Germany (79%), and lowest in France (57%). However, only about 1 in 4 respondents in each country said they were familiar with most or all details of the regulation.
Public attitudes and activity around health data in the GDPR era demonstrate optimism
Despite public concerns about health data privacy, few survey respondents report taking data-related actions enabled by GDPR. One in six have asked a company to erase their personal data or opt out of marketing communications, while only 8% have either requested information from a company on how their personal data is processed, or requested that an organisation that has access to their personal data share it with another system.
In fact, significant minorities of respondents have positive attitudes about sharing their health data in modern, increasingly protected environments. 45% say they are more likely to participate in a clinical trial if it provides clarity on how personal data will be used, and 33% are less concerned about sharing their personal data with pharmaceutical companies given the increased privacy guidelines in GDPR.
Physicians see both the positives and negatives of the health data landscape
Doctors demonstrate greater awareness of GDPR than do their patients, with research conducted in July 2018 among EU5 physicians finding 93% were aware of GDPR just two months after it took effect.
Nearly half of doctors say that in today’s climate of heightened security awareness and regulation, they have greater trust in the security of digital platforms that collect their patients’ personal health data. However, half also say that GDPR will have some negative impacts in making it more difficult for physicians to effectively manage their patients’ data.
Further information
about these surveys and DRG’s approach to obtain insights on the public and physicians, visit: https://decisionresourcesgroup.com/solutions/multichannel-stakeholder-engagement/