Data links build the big health picture
by Michèle Nardelli
SA Minister for Early Childhood Development, Jay Weatherill; Executive Director Policy for the SA Department of Education and Children’s Services, Liz Furler; NT Minister for Health, Kon Vatskalis; Director SA NT DataLink, Prof Robyn McDermott and SA Minister for Health, John Hill at the launch of SA NT DataLink |
South
Australia and Northern Territory researchers will soon have access
to some of the most comprehensive historical health and human
services data in Australia with the foundation of SA NT DataLink.
Launched in November, the new secure environment will be
based at UniSA’s City East campus.
SA NT DataLink will link up routinely collected historical
government health, education and community services data from SA and
the NT giving researchers an opportunity to study the relationships
between health and well-being in the community across a wide range
of factors.
Director of SA NT DataLink, UniSA’s Professor Robyn
McDermott says the capacity to link this data will be of enormous
importance to health and population research and service and policy
planning.
“While the information will be completely anonymous and
secure, access to the data and the capacity to research across the
health, education and community services spectrum is very powerful,”
Prof McDermott said.
“It allows us to look at emerging population trends and
problems in a much more sophisticated way than was possible
previously.
“It means we can examine the relationships between location
or education and health and provide a more holistic understanding of
the development of our population over time and through that, devise
better strategies to promote health and well-being across the
community.”
Speaking at the launch, SA Minister for Health John Hill
said SA NT DataLink was an initiative that would build invaluable
health and human services policy flexibility and responsiveness
across the state and territory.
“The foundation of SA NT DataLink will mean researchers and
policy makers can develop the most accurate and unbiased information
to guide the development of the most effective public policy and
practice,” Minister Hill said.
SA NT DataLink was established as a consortium earlier this
year comprising the SA Ministers for Health, Education, Mental
Health and Substance Abuse, Early Childhood Development, Families
and Communities, Housing, Ageing, Disability, and Aboriginal Affairs
and Reconciliation, the Northern Territory of Australia, the
Anti-Cancer Foundation of South Australia, SA’s three Universities
and the Motor Accident Commission.
“SA NT DataLink is working closely with the Privacy
Committee of South Australia and similarly with the authorities in
the Northern Territory to develop processes and protocols to achieve
world’s best practice in protecting the privacy and confidentiality
of the data,” Prof Mc Dermott said.