Are Privacy-Enhancing Technologies for Genomic Data Ready for the Clinic? A Survey of Medical Experts of the Swiss HIV Cohort Study

Conclusion This survey, although limited in size, represents the first evaluation of privacy-preserving models for genomic-based medicine. It has allowed us to derive unique insights that will improve the design of these new systems in the future. In particular, we have observed that a clinical information system that uses homomorphic encryption to provide clinicians with risk information based on sensitive genetic test results can offer information that clinicians feel sufficient for their needs and appropriately respectful of patients’ privacy. The ability of this kind of systems to ensure strong security and privacy guarantees and to provide some analytics on encrypted data has been assessed as a key enabler for the management of sensitive medical information in the near future. Providing clinically relevant information to physicians while protecting patients’ privacy to comply with regulations is crucial for the widespread use of the new technologies. Graphical abstract
Source: Journal of Biomedical Informatics - Category: Information Technology Source Type: research