title: A systematic scoping review of the domains and innovations in secondary uses of digitised health-related data.
abstract: Substantial investments are being made in health -information -technology (HIT) based on assumptions that these systems will save costs through increased quality, safety and efficiency of care provision. Whilst -short-term -benefits have often proven difficult to demonstrate, there is increasing interest in achieving benefits in the medium and long term through secondary uses of -HIT-derived data.
  
  
  
  We aimed to describe the range of secondary uses of HIT-derived data in the international literature and identify innovative developments of particular relevance to UK policymakers and managers.
  
  
  
  We searched nine electronic databases to conduct a systematic scoping review of the international literature and augmented this by consulting a range of experts in the field.
  
  
  
  Reviewers independently screened 16,806 titles, resulting in 583 -eligible studies for inclusion. Thematic organisation of reported secondary uses was -validated during expert consultation (n = 23). A primary division was made between patient-identifiable data and datasets in which individuals were not identified. Secondary uses were then categorised under four domain headings of: i) research; ii) quality and safety of care provision; iii) financial management; and iv) healthcare professional education. We found that innovative developments were most -evident in research where, in particular, dataset linkage studies offered important -opportunities for exploitation.
  
  
  
  Distinguishing patient-identifiable data from aggregated, de-identified datasets gives greater conceptual clarity in secondary uses of HIT-derived data. Secondary uses research has substantial potential for realising future benefits through generating new medical knowledge from dataset linkage studies, developing precision medicine and enabling cross-sectoral, evidence-based policymaking to benefit population-level well-being.
authors.affiliation: The University of Edinburgh. A.R.R.Robertson@ed.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Ann R R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Robertson
authors.affiliation: The University of Edinburgh. uNurmatov@dresourcesgroup.com.
authors.forename: Ulugbek
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Nurmatov
authors.affiliation: National Health Service (NHS) England, London. harpreet.sood@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Harpreet S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Sood
authors.affiliation: The University of Edinburgh. Kathrin.Beyer@ed.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Kathrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cresswell
authors.affiliation: The University of Edinburgh. Pam.Smith@ed.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Pam
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: The University of Edinburgh. Aziz.Sheikh@ed.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Aziz
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sheikh
mesh_terms: D004059:Diffusion of Innovation; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D019359:Knowledge; D008490:Medical Informatics
keywords: health services research; medical informatics; systematic scoping review