Data-Sharing Agreements Between Health and Local Government Authorities

Abstract

Background: Effective governance of data sharing depends on more than formal authorization, especially where information governance and institutional coordination are uneven.

Objective: The investigation focused on whether formal arrangements concerning data sharing translated into consistent practice and how this intersected with information governance.

Methods: We coded 243 statutes, regulations, policies, contracts, guidance documents, administrative records, or public disclosures using a predefined framework. Legal clarity, transparency, safeguards, oversight, and implementation requirements were assessed in two stages, with independent review used to resolve coding differences.

Results: The document review found formal data sharing requirements in 56% of sources, but detailed implementation or oversight provisions in just 36%. In 24% of cases, transparency or review mechanisms were missing or incomplete. Instruments with broader operational detail were associated with clearer responsibility and fewer implementation gaps.

Conclusion: Across the settings examined, stronger outcomes relating to data sharing were tied to the institutional arrangements supporting day-to-day implementation. Accordingly, data-governance rules need clear ownership, usable procedures, and review mechanisms if transparency and privacy obligations are to be met consistently.

Study design: document analysis and key-informant interviews.

Publication history: Originally published in print on 15 June 2021, Volume 1, Article 17. Online abstract record added on 16 September 2026. Full-text PDF will be added when the digital galley is ready.