Media release

From: New Zealand Medical Association (NZMA)

Posthumous healthcare data, the healthcare information of persons that have died, are ever-increasing in volume.  Despite their potential usefulness, there have been no studies that have asked the public if or how they may want this information utilised after they die – this is becoming more relevant as digital healthcare records are now becoming ‘the norm’.  This study asked Aotearoa New Zealanders these questions, finding that they generally support the notion of their healthcare information being used for the future benefit of family and society, while commercial benefit arising from their healthcare information was viewed as likely and acceptable.  Other findings included Māori healthcare data preferentially being managed by Māori, while a centralised, Government-supported database was suggested as the preferred vehicle for data management.  The information provides the first empirical evidence of social support for posthumous healthcare data use and guides a potential future for healthcare data use in Aotearoa New Zealand.