Dynamic consent allows patients to collaborate with health researchers in a more flexible way than is currently possible. Hosted at The University of Manchester, the workshop was fully-subscribed with 30 delegates attending from across the North West of England.
Following a short introduction, HeRC investigator Dr Will Dixon explained that dynamic consent gives patients more control over the use of their health information by allowing them to decide whether their data can be shared in a simple and easy to understand process.
In viewing a short video that outlines the concept, attendees also learnt that dynamic consent allows them to withdraw or change their permissions to participate in research at any time. Under the new system, individuals would also be given access controls on exactly which organisations could view and use their data.
Divided into five groups, facilitated discussion allowed members of the public to discuss their thoughts around how dynamic consent might work in reality. With the aid of on-hand tablet devices and guided demonstrations participants were able to try-out a working prototype of the application. This included novel feedback features, to show exactly how an individual’s data had been used as part of research and what publications or improvements to practice had resulted from these projects.
Following a lively and energetic discussion each group fed their thoughts back to the team from the Centre for Primary Care. Once collated the information will be used to help refine the electronic application and design a new project to test its use in healthcare settings.
Feedback from the day was generally very positive, one participant said: “This was a great event overall; a very interesting subject in an area that affects many people.”
Ends
For more information please contact:
Stephen Melia, Communications Officer, Tel: 0161 306 7876, Mobile: 07757 310213, Email: stephen.melia@manchester.ac.uk