The Gap Between Technology and Ethics, Especially in Low- and Middle-Income Country Health Information Systems: A Bibliometric Study

Abstract

Digital health information systems are quickly replacing paper systems worldwide. This study examined scholarly work reflecting how ethical considerations for health information systems (HISs) have evolved over time, with particular interest in the contributions from low- and middle-income country (LMIC) institutions. We systematically searched four research databases for terms related to HISs, ethics, and LMICs; and identified 601 relevant articles published from 1975 through 2019. The included publications were produced by 1,000 authors from more than 700 institutions. However, only 30 publications were co-authored by researchers from both an LMIC and a high-income country (HIC). Most publications pertained to data security. There is an acute need to address a wider array of HIS ethics topics, including those that may be unique to LMIC resource constraints. We recommend more collaborations between LMIC and HIC institutions to address the full range of HIS ethical concerns in LMICs.