This paper describes work undertaken to assure the privacy of doctors in a system that enables some other parties to analyse prescription information at a reasonably detailed level. The task was to determine what ‘reasonably’ should mean. The paper outlines the risks to the privacy of doctors, which were identified during fieldwork and data analysis. The measures chosen to safeguard the identity of doctors when they do not explicitly give consent for it to be known are then described. Although the paper concentrates on technical measures, some relevant organizational and contractual issues are also mentioned.
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