Security and confidentiality approach for the Clinical E-Science Framework (CLEF).
OBJECTIVE
CLEF is an MRC sponsored project in the E-Science programme that aims to establish methodologies and a technical infrastructure for the next generation of integrated clinical and bioscience research.


METHODS
The heart of the CLEF approach to this challenge is to design and develop a pseudonymised repository of histories of cancer patients that can be accessed by researchers. Robust mechanisms and policies have been developed to ensure that patient privacy and confidentiality are preserved while delivering a repository of such medically rich information for the purposes of scientific research.


RESULTS
This paper summarises the overall approach adopted by CLEF to meet data protection requirements, including the data flows, pseudonymisation measures and additional monitoring policies that are currently being developed.


CONCLUSIONS
Once evaluated, it is hoped that the CLEF approach can serve as a model for other distributed electronic health record repositories to be accessed for research.
Kalra
D
D
Centre for Health Informatics and Multiprofessional Education (CHIME), University College London, Holborn Union Building, Highgate Hill, London N19 5LW, United Kingdom. d.kalra@chime.ucl.ac.uk
Singleton
P
P
Milan
J
J
Mackay
J
J
Detmer
D
D
Rector
A
A
Ingram
D
D
D022126:Access to Information; D016494:Computer Security; D003219:Confidentiality; D003628:Database Management Systems; D016208:Databases, Factual; D004739:England; D006751:Hospital Information Systems / Q000592:standards*; D006779:Hospitals, Public; D006801:Humans; D016247:Information Storage and Retrieval; D020407:Internet; D016347:Medical Records Systems, Computerized / Q000592:standards*; D016730:Program Development; D012984:Software; D018511:Systems Integration