Managing information and knowledge within maternity services: Privacy and consent issues.

Abstract

Methods A preliminary questionnaire was administered (n = 52), in total, 24 responses were received. Sixteen responses were from personnel in the information technology department, 5 from health information department and 3 from midwifery managers. This was followed by a semi-structured interview with representatives from the clinical and technological side. Results A number of issues related to information governance (IG) have been identified, especially breaches on sharing personal information without consent from the patients have been identified as one immediate challenge that needs to be fixed. Conclusion There is an immediate need for more robust, realistic, built-in accountability both locally and nationally on data sharing. A culture of ownership and strict adherence to IG principles is paramount. Focused training in the area of data, information and knowledge sharing will bring in a balance of legitimate usage against the individual's rights to confidentiality and privacy.