Factors affecting access to administrative health data for research in Canada: a study protocol

INTRODUCTION: In Canada, most provinces have established administrative health data repositories to facilitate access to these data for research. Anecdotally, researchers have described delays and substantial inter-provincial variations in the timeliness of data access approvals and receipt of data. Currently, the reasons for these delays and variations in timeliness are not well understood. This paper provides a study protocol for (1) identifying the factors affecting access to administrative health data for research within select Canadian provinces, and (2) comparing factors across provinces to assess whether and how they contribute to inter-provincial variations in access to administrative health data for research. METHODS: A qualitative, multiple-case study research design will be used. Three cases will be included, representing three different provinces. For each case, data will be collected from documents and interviews. Specifically, interviews will be carried out with (1) research stakeholders, and (2) regulatory stakeholders (10 individuals/group * 2 groups/province * 3 provinces = 60). During within-case analysis, interview data for each stakeholder group will be analyzed separately using constant comparative analysis. Document analysis will occur iteratively, and will inform interview guide adaptation, and supplement interview data. Cross-case analysis will involve systematic comparison of findings across cases. DISCUSSION: This study represents the first in-depth examination of access to administrative health data in Canada. The main outcome will be an overarching mid-range theory explaining inter-provincial variations in access to administrative health data in Canada. This theory will be strengthened by the inclusion of the perspectives of both researchers and those involved in the regulation of data access. The findings from this study may be used to improve equitable and timely access to administrative health data across provinces, and may be transferable to other jurisdictions where barriers to access to administrative health data have been reported.