Data sharing and big data in health professions education: Ottawa consensus statement and recommendations for scholarship

Abstract

Changes in digital technology, increasing volume of data collection, and advances in methods have the potential to unleash the value of big data generated through the education of health professionals. Coupled with this potential are legitimate concerns about how data can be used or misused in ways that limit autonomy, equity, or harm stakeholders. This consensus statement is intended to address these issues by foregrounding the ethical imperatives for engaging with big data as well as the potential risks and challenges. Recognizing the wide and ever evolving scope of big data scholarship, we focus on foundational issues for framing and engaging in research. We ground our recommendations in the context of big data created through data sharing across and within the stages of the continuum of the education and training of health professionals. Ultimately, the goal of this statement is to support a culture of trust and quality for big data research to deliver on its promises for health professions education (HPE) and the health of society. Based on expert consensus and review of the literature, we report 19 recommendations in (1) framing scholarship and research through research, (2) considering unique ethical practices, (3) governance of data sharing collaborations that engage stakeholders, (4) data sharing processes best practices, (5) the importance of knowledge translation, and (6) advancing the quality of scholarship through multidisciplinary collaboration. The recommendations were modified and refined based on feedback from the 2022 Ottawa Conference attendees and subsequent public engagement. Adoption of these recommendations can help HPE scholars share data ethically and engage in high impact big data scholarship, which in turn can help the field meet the ultimate goal: high-quality education that leads to high-quality healthcare.

Keywords:

• Assessment
• best evidence medical education
• big data
• management

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements and gratitude to the participants of workshop and symposium of the Ottawa Conference 2022.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.

Notes on contributors

Kulamakan (Mahan) Kulasegaram

Kulamakan (Mahan) Kulasegaram, PhD, Associate professor, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.

Lawrence Grierson

Lawrence Grierson, PhD, Associate professor, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.

Cassandra Barber

Cassandra Barber, PhD(c), Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.

Saad Chahine

Saad Chahine, PhD, Associate professor, Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada.

Fremen Chichen Chou

Fremen Chichen Chou, MD, PhD, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung City, Taiwan.

Jennifer Cleland

Jennifer Cleland, PhD, Professor of Medical Education Research, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Singapore.

Ricky Ellis

Ricky Ellis, MBChB, PhD, Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom.

Eric S. Holmboe

Eric S. Holmboe, MD, Chief, Research, Milestones Development and Evaluation Officer, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, Chicago, USA.

Martin Pusic

Martin Pusic, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine, Harvard School of Medicine, Boston, USA.

Daniel Schumacher

Daniel Schumacher, MD, PhD, Med, Professor of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center/University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.

Martin G. Tolsgaard

Martin G. Tolsgaard, MD, PhD, DMSc, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Copenhagen Academy for Medical Education and Simulation; University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Chin-Chung Tsai

Chin-Chung Tsai, PhD, Professor, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan.

Elizabeth Wenghofer

Elizabeth Wenghofer, PhD, Professor, School of Kinesiology and Health Sciences, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Canada.

Claire Touchie

Claire Touchie, MD, MHPE, Professor of Medicine, University of Ottawa/The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.