Australian consumers overwhelmingly want ownership over and access to their health data, and while the majority are open to sharing de-identified data for medical research, they want to be asked for their consent first.

These are some of the findings from a comprehensive study released today by the Consumers Health Forum (CHF) and NPS MedicineWise, which found that consumers are more likely to give permission to share their data if they understand how it will be used and any benefits that will come from its use.