Health Statistics NSW: getting the right balance between privacy and small numbers in a web-based reporting system

Article

<< Previous

Next >>

Contents Vol 23(2)

doi:10.1071/NB11047

Supporting public health practice in New South Wales

	Search




	Advanced Search



	Journal Home

	About the Bulletin

	Editorial Committee

	Editorial Contacts



	Content



	For Authors

	General Information

	Instructions to Authors



	For Referees

	Annual Referee Index

	Referee Guidelines



	For Subscribers

	Sponsored Journals

	Print Publication Dates

Cumulative Indexes

Cumulative Subject Index Cumulative Author Index

e-Alerts

Subscribe to our email Early Alert or

feeds for the latest journal papers.

Connect with us

Health Statistics NSW: getting the right balance between privacy and small numbers in a web-based reporting system

James P. Scandol ^A ^B and Helen A. Moore ^A

^A Centre for Epidemiology and Research, NSW Ministry of Health
^B Corresponding author. Email: james.scandol@doh.health.nsw.gov.au

NSW Public Health Bulletin 23(2) 1-4 http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/NB11047
Published: 28 March 2012





	Full Text



	PDF (178 KB)



	Export Citation

Print

Abstract

Health Statistics NSW is a new web-based application developed by the Centre for Epidemiology and Research at the NSW Ministry of Health. The application is designed to be an efficient vehicle for the timely delivery of health statistics to a diverse audience including the general public, health planners, researchers, students and policy analysts. The development and implementation of this web application required the consideration of a series of competing demands such as: the public interest in providing health data while maintaining the privacy interests of the individuals whose health is being reported; reporting data at spatial scales of relevance to health planners while maintaining the statistical integrity of any inferences drawn; the use of hardware and software systems which are publicly accessible, scalable and robust, while ensuring high levels of security. These three competing demands and the relationships between them are discussed in the context of Health Statistics NSW.

References

[1] Rudolph BA, Shah GH, Love D. Small numbers, disclosure risk, security, and reliability issues in web-based data query systems. J Public Health Manag Pract 2006; 12: 176–83.

[2] Centre for Epidemiology and Research. Health Statistics NSW: Privacy issues and the reporting of small numbers. Sydney: NSW Department of Health; 2011. p 18.

[3] COAG Reform Council National Healthcare Agreement. Performance report for 2009–10. Sydney: COAG Reform Council; 2011.

[4] Government NSW. NSW 2021: A plan to make NSW number one. Sydney: NSW Government; 2011.

[5] NSW Health. NSW Health Privacy Manual, Version 2, PD2005_593. North Sydney: NSW Ministry of Health; 2005. p 75.

[6] Statistical Information Management Committee (SIMC). Guidelines for the use and disclosure of health data for statistical purposes. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare; 2007. p 16.

[7] Steel D, Green J, Brown L. Best practice in small area analysis and reporting – literature review and guidelines. Centre for Health Service Development, University of Wollongong; 2003. p 108.

[8] Lawson AB, Browne WJ, Rodeiro CL. Disease Mapping with WinBUGS and MLwiN. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons; 2003. p 292.

[9] NSW Health. Secure analytics for population health research and intelligence (SAPHaRI). Sydney: NSW Health; 2011.

[10] Lawlor DA, Stone T. Public health and data protection: an inevitable collision or potential for a meeting of minds? Int J Epidemiol 2001; 30: 1221–5.
| CrossRef | CAS |

Legal & Privacy | Contact Us | Help