Views of general practice staff on sharing general practice data for research: a scoping review protocol.

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this scoping review is to understand the range and types of evidence in relation to the views of general practitioner and other general practice staff on sharing general practice data for research purposes.

Introduction: The use of general practice data for research has the potential to drive transformative improvements in health care. The vast amount of patient data collected in general practice is valuable and provides researchers with data to conduct large-scale studies and generate evidence that can inform policy decisions, support the development of personalized medicine, and enhance patient outcomes. However, despite there being clear benefits to using general practice data for research, there are also potential harms, such as data misuse, loss of trust between the general practitioner and patient, and data breaches.

Inclusion criteria: This scoping review will focus on the views of general practice staff, including general practitioners, practice nurses, and practice managers, about sharing general practice data for the purposes of research. This scoping review will exclude sources of evidence that are conducted outside of the general practice setting, and papers that report on public, patient, or community views on data sharing.

Methods: This scoping review will be conducted in accordance with JBI methodology for scoping reviews. A 3-step search strategy will be used to acquire both published and unpublished sources of evidence. Two reviewers will independently select sources of evidence in line with the inclusion and exclusion criteria. No limits on the date of the search or language will be applied. Data will be extracted and the results will be summarized descriptively and presented in a tabular format.

Review registration: Open Science Framework https://osf.io/49yw5.