Towards consensus for best practice: the use of patient records for research in general practice.

摘要

Introduction:Research is a core part of the NHS. Evidence is needed to improve patient care, advance understanding of disease, and evaluate interventions. Patient records offer significant potential for research and the increasing use of electronic records offers new possibilities to analyse large volumes of data.Patient information is both sensitive and private. The general public and patients must have confidence that the security of personal information is protected, and that procedures are in place to safeguard data.