With great (statistical) power comes great responsibility: A comment on the ethics of using administrative data to investigate marginalised populations

Louise Marryat (Lead / Corresponding author), Ruchika Gajwani, Sharon Graham, Marion Henderson, Christine Puckering, Lucy Thompson, Philip Wilson, Helen Minnis

Research output: Contribution to journalComment/debatepeer-review

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Abstract

As health data infrastructure improves, we have the opportunity to link increasing volumes of data in order to investigate important health problems. This is perhaps most pertinent when looking at the experiences and outcomes of our most disadvantaged groups, who are often invisible in data obtained through primary research. Whilst these data offer enormous opportunity, there are also ethical implications in their use, which are less frequently discussed than in relation to their qualitative counterparts. As a diverse group of clinicians and academics working across public health, we share our experience and understanding of how we can improve our reflexivity in health data science and ensure that research in this area is ethically conducted in co-production with the people whose data we are using. We discuss the potential opportunities, challenges and impacts of using administrative data to investigate marginalised populations.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-4
Number of pages4
JournalBig Data and Society
Volume11
Issue number4
Early online date1 Dec 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2024

Keywords

  • Marginalised populations
  • ethics
  • co-production
  • public engagement
  • vulnerable populations
  • drug use

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