title: Biomedical databases: protecting privacy and promoting research.
abstract: When combined with medical information, large electronic databases of information that identify individuals provide superlative resources for genetic, epidemiology and other biomedical research. Such research resources increasingly need to balance the protection of privacy and confidentiality with the promotion of research. Models that do not allow the use of such individual-identifying information constrain research; models that involve commercial interests raise concerns about what type of access is acceptable. Researchers, individuals representing the public interest and those developing regulatory guidelines must be involved in an ongoing dialogue to identify practical models.
authors.affiliation: Utah Resource for Genetic and Epidemiologic Research, 30 North 1900 East, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84132-2116, USA. jean.wylie@hsc.utah.edu
authors.forename: Jean E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Wylie
authors.forename: Geraldine P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Mineau
mesh_terms: D016494:Computer Security / Q000592:standards*; D003219:Confidentiality / Q000592:standards*; D003628:Database Management Systems; D016208:Databases, Factual / Q000592:standards*; D030661:Genetic Privacy / Q000592:standards; D016247:Information Storage and Retrieval / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards*; D016347:Medical Records Systems, Computerized / Q000592:standards; D014481:United States