Author: Jenny Westaway, Chair, PatientsVoices@RCoA

How well do you think your patients understand that information collected in their medical records could be used for other purposes, such as research, audit and planning services?

Do you think they would be comfortable or apprehensive? How do you feel about it? This subject – patients' data expectations – has occupied me for many years. Most researchers, understandably, are occupied by data quality, completeness, linkability, comparability, and more. However, for research projects to be successful, we must understand what patients and the public want from them.

It’s critical to get it right. There is so much public benefit that can be reaped through the use of patient data to identify and evaluate new treatments, to check the quality of care, and to plan and improve services.