Is Open Science Possible in Healthcare and Medical Research?

• Main Author: GOH, Wilson
• Format: text
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2024
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/sgor2024/programme/schedule/3; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/sgor2024/article/1003/viewcontent/03_Wilson_OS_Healthcare_v2.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

Open science, which promotes transparency, accessibility, and collaboration in research, has revolutionized many scientific fields. However, the unique complexities of healthcare research, including patient privacy, data security, and regulatory requirements, present significant challenges to its full implementation. Despite these challenges, strategic national efforts are paving the way toward greater openness. In this presentation, I will highlight some of these initiatives, including the Singapore MOH Trust system, international consortia efforts to share national data such as the UK BioBank, and MIMIC-IV, a publicly available database sourced from the electronic health record of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre. Additionally, I will discuss public deliberation efforts in the UK that have helped develop policies on health data sharing for research. I will also share our own experiences in navigating data sharing and transparency. Finally, I will conclude with thoughts on how to foster an open science culture while safeguarding patient confidentiality and data integrity.