The health record of every person enrolled in the U.K.'s National Health Service, the country's publicly funded healthcare system, will soon be shared in a massive, nationwide database to improve research efforts, according to a report in The Telegraph.
The NHS is informing all British households that, starting in April, their medical information will be shared with researchers and pharmaceutical companies unless they specifically opt out, according to the report.
Although the medical records will be anonymous, the database does pose an increased privacy risk. However, the benefit to researchers and others will outweigh potential drawbacks. "I don't think anyone would say there is not a risk," Peter Weissberg, MD, medical director at the British Heart Foundation, told The Telegraph. "But you can walk into a hospital and pick up notes at any time. People don't because they are of very limited use outside of medical research. The benefits are enormous and the risks are small."
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