A researcher at the University of Alberta School of Public Health has developed a way to make "synthetic data" that potentially protects the health care data of real patients. Using machine learning and an initial collection of personal information, a computer model generates data that reflects real data but cannot be traced back to an actual patient. Professor Dean Eurich, who is leading the research project, said, "the synthetic data can be used to conduct research, train students and plan public health measures while protecting patients and their records.”
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