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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 49(2)

Health research governance of data access: a black-box challenge

Paula McDonald A * , Robyn Mayes A , Peter Frederiksen B , Christina Malatzky C , Alicia Feldman https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0210-1847 A , Janet M. Davies C and Diana Leon-Espinoza A
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- Author Affiliations

A Faculty of Business and Law, Queensland University of Technology, 2 George Street, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.

B Present address: Ramsay Psychology, Ramsay Health Care, Level 1, 22 Wandoo Street, Fortitude Valley, Qld, Australia.

C Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, 149 Victoria Park Road, Kelvin Grove, Qld, Australia.

* Correspondence to: p.mcdonald@qut.edu.au

Australian Health Review 49, AH24341 https://doi.org/10.1071/AH24341
Submitted: 14 December 2024  Accepted: 11 February 2025  Published: 25 February 2025

© 2025 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of AHHA.

Abstract

This article addresses organisational governance, including perceived reputational concerns, by health data custodians as the principal barrier to timely and transparent research. Although existing literature primarily addresses ethics reviews and site-specific research approvals, our experience with a Local Hospital Network uncovered additional active barriers within this complex health system. We position these experiences in relation to literature that has documented inefficiencies in health research governance processes that lead to lost knowledge capital and opportunities for significant advancements in health systems research.

Keywords: clinician-scientist, gender, health research, health services, health services research, Local Hospital Network, public health, research governance.

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