Worldwide willingness to share health data high but privacy, consent and transparency paramount, a meta-analysis

Abstract Healthcare delivery is under strain, and the reusing of routinely collected data promises improved outcomes. Still, concerns remain about the public’s willingness to share their health data. This study examines worldwide willingness to share health data for secondary purposes. Five electron...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Quita Olsen, Amalie Dyda, Leanna Woods, Elton Lobo, Rebekah Eden, Michelle A. Krahe, Bernadette Richards, Nalini Pather, Lesley McGee, Clair Sullivan, Jason D. Pole
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-08-01
Series:npj Digital Medicine
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-025-01868-9
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849225924769218560
author Quita Olsen
Amalie Dyda
Leanna Woods
Elton Lobo
Rebekah Eden
Michelle A. Krahe
Bernadette Richards
Nalini Pather
Lesley McGee
Clair Sullivan
Jason D. Pole
author_facet Quita Olsen
Amalie Dyda
Leanna Woods
Elton Lobo
Rebekah Eden
Michelle A. Krahe
Bernadette Richards
Nalini Pather
Lesley McGee
Clair Sullivan
Jason D. Pole
author_sort Quita Olsen
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Healthcare delivery is under strain, and the reusing of routinely collected data promises improved outcomes. Still, concerns remain about the public’s willingness to share their health data. This study examines worldwide willingness to share health data for secondary purposes. Five electronic databases were searched for eligible studies published since January 2020. Articles were included if they quantitatively examined the primary outcome; the public’s willingness to share health data for secondary use, while secondary outcomes included demographic and perception measures associated with willingness to share. Sixty-five articles reported a wide range (24–100%) of public willingness to share resulting in a pooled estimate of 77% (95% CI: 71–82%) among predominantly high-income countries. Participants remain concerned about privacy, consent, and transparency. Future work should consider public education, assessing diverse populations and developing and deploying a validated tool measuring willingness to share data.
format Article
id doaj-art-8b7ed9242bea477ca2d24a2b0a112df2
institution Kabale University
issn 2398-6352
language English
publishDate 2025-08-01
publisher Nature Portfolio
record_format Article
series npj Digital Medicine
spelling doaj-art-8b7ed9242bea477ca2d24a2b0a112df22025-08-24T11:52:05ZengNature Portfolionpj Digital Medicine2398-63522025-08-018111310.1038/s41746-025-01868-9Worldwide willingness to share health data high but privacy, consent and transparency paramount, a meta-analysisQuita Olsen0Amalie Dyda1Leanna Woods2Elton Lobo3Rebekah Eden4Michelle A. Krahe5Bernadette Richards6Nalini Pather7Lesley McGeeClair Sullivan8Jason D. Pole9Queensland Digital Health Centre, Centre for Health Services Research, The University of QueenslandSchool of Public Health, The University of QueenslandQueensland Digital Health Centre, Centre for Health Services Research, The University of QueenslandQueensland Digital Health Centre, Centre for Health Services Research, The University of QueenslandSchool of Business, The University of QueenslandCollege of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook UniversityAcademy for Medical Education, Medical School, The University of QueenslandAcademy for Medical Education, Medical School, The University of QueenslandQueensland Digital Health Centre, Centre for Health Services Research, The University of QueenslandQueensland Digital Health Centre, Centre for Health Services Research, The University of QueenslandAbstract Healthcare delivery is under strain, and the reusing of routinely collected data promises improved outcomes. Still, concerns remain about the public’s willingness to share their health data. This study examines worldwide willingness to share health data for secondary purposes. Five electronic databases were searched for eligible studies published since January 2020. Articles were included if they quantitatively examined the primary outcome; the public’s willingness to share health data for secondary use, while secondary outcomes included demographic and perception measures associated with willingness to share. Sixty-five articles reported a wide range (24–100%) of public willingness to share resulting in a pooled estimate of 77% (95% CI: 71–82%) among predominantly high-income countries. Participants remain concerned about privacy, consent, and transparency. Future work should consider public education, assessing diverse populations and developing and deploying a validated tool measuring willingness to share data.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-025-01868-9
spellingShingle Quita Olsen
Amalie Dyda
Leanna Woods
Elton Lobo
Rebekah Eden
Michelle A. Krahe
Bernadette Richards
Nalini Pather
Lesley McGee
Clair Sullivan
Jason D. Pole
Worldwide willingness to share health data high but privacy, consent and transparency paramount, a meta-analysis
npj Digital Medicine
title Worldwide willingness to share health data high but privacy, consent and transparency paramount, a meta-analysis
title_full Worldwide willingness to share health data high but privacy, consent and transparency paramount, a meta-analysis
title_fullStr Worldwide willingness to share health data high but privacy, consent and transparency paramount, a meta-analysis
title_full_unstemmed Worldwide willingness to share health data high but privacy, consent and transparency paramount, a meta-analysis
title_short Worldwide willingness to share health data high but privacy, consent and transparency paramount, a meta-analysis
title_sort worldwide willingness to share health data high but privacy consent and transparency paramount a meta analysis
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-025-01868-9
work_keys_str_mv AT quitaolsen worldwidewillingnesstosharehealthdatahighbutprivacyconsentandtransparencyparamountametaanalysis
AT amaliedyda worldwidewillingnesstosharehealthdatahighbutprivacyconsentandtransparencyparamountametaanalysis
AT leannawoods worldwidewillingnesstosharehealthdatahighbutprivacyconsentandtransparencyparamountametaanalysis
AT eltonlobo worldwidewillingnesstosharehealthdatahighbutprivacyconsentandtransparencyparamountametaanalysis
AT rebekaheden worldwidewillingnesstosharehealthdatahighbutprivacyconsentandtransparencyparamountametaanalysis
AT michelleakrahe worldwidewillingnesstosharehealthdatahighbutprivacyconsentandtransparencyparamountametaanalysis
AT bernadetterichards worldwidewillingnesstosharehealthdatahighbutprivacyconsentandtransparencyparamountametaanalysis
AT nalinipather worldwidewillingnesstosharehealthdatahighbutprivacyconsentandtransparencyparamountametaanalysis
AT lesleymcgee worldwidewillingnesstosharehealthdatahighbutprivacyconsentandtransparencyparamountametaanalysis
AT clairsullivan worldwidewillingnesstosharehealthdatahighbutprivacyconsentandtransparencyparamountametaanalysis
AT jasondpole worldwidewillingnesstosharehealthdatahighbutprivacyconsentandtransparencyparamountametaanalysis