Australia's Molecular Medicine Informatics Mode has launched an online database of anonymous patient health records to let researchers link data with diseases and treatments, Australian IT reports.
The initiative was stalled by legal and institutional barriers, as well as intellectual property rights, including disputes concerning ownership of the data.
"The issues are never the IT," Marienne Hibbert of MMIM said. She noted that it took 18 months to reach an agreement to allow MMIM to begin compiling data. However, the effort received privacy clearance more quickly than expected, Australian IT reports.
MMIM has collaborated with 12 hospitals and research institutes to provide online access to more than 150,000 health records.
Hibbert said she would like to receive funding from the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy to connect the initiative across the country to the Western Australian Data Linkage Unit, Australian IT reports.
The online database also could connect to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, expediting the study of cancer survival rates with data on dates and causes of death.
MMIM is funded by federal and local government grants (Lane, Australian IT, 8/22).