asked the Minister for Health if he is satisfied that the present mental health computer study offers adequate safeguards to patients against unauthorised use of confidential information.
3.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Hospital Confidential Information.
2.
asked the Minister for Health if any hospital records on patients are being used for computer studies; if so, if he will give details; and if he will give assurances that such studies will not be available for unauthorised purposes.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 2 and 3 together.
There are a number of computer-linked studies being undertaken at the moment in relation to general hospital and psychiatric services which involve the use of patient records.
The following studies are being carried out by the Medico-Social Research Board: (1) The hospital in-patient inquiry scheme which provides basic information about patients admitted to general hospitals for the purpose of producing local and national statistics; (2) The national psychiatric in-patient reporting system which analyses on an annual basis admissions and discharges into psychiatric hospitals and units; (3) The 1971 census of psychiatric hospital populations; (4) A case register study aimed at determining accurately the prevalence of treated mental illness in a number of chosen areas; (5) a study of the factors influencing the incidence of mental illness in these areas.
In addition, the Eastern Health Board is operating a case register for the Dublin area.
All data in the aforementioned studies is processed on the Eastern Health Board computer. In each case, adequate precautions have been taken to preserve the confidentiality of patient records. The Eastern Health Board have informed me that the utmost precaution is taken with regard to security and strict instructions have been given to the punch card operators that no information is to be delivered to any person without authorisation. These instructions have been given as well as the normal security precautions in force where the divulging of medical information is concerned. In essence, access to computerised information is so strict at present that it is more or less impossible to obtain it, without being given prior authorisation by the person supervising these projects. If information was wanted, it would be much easier to go direct to the files within each hospital to obtain information than to try to obtain it from the computer.