Confidentiality, privacy, and research data protection

The manuals converge on a strong expectation that participant identity, clinical information, and research records are kept confidential through coded or study number based identifiers, separate storage of linking information, and restricted access. Across the extracts, the common pattern is secure handling of paper and electronic records, password protected or encrypted systems, and limiting disclosure to authorised study, regulatory, or safety related purposes only. They also converge on careful handling of recordings and other highly sensitive materials. Several sources treat audio and video as especially sensitive, with secure storage, restricted access, de identification where possible, and explicit consent or limits on later use. Many manuals also note that confidentiality is not absolute, and that disclosure may occur in limited legal, regulatory, or safety circumstances. The manuals differ mainly in emphasis and context. Some focus on group settings and shared disclosures, some on occupational sensitivity for clinicians, some on biomarker, genomic, or HIV related information, and others on special handling of recordings, documentary footage, or digital phenotyping data. A few sources also add privacy related features such as private phone or video assessments, participant rights to examine data, or support for confidentiality certificates and specific legal frameworks such as HIPAA, GDPR, PHIPA, or local data protection laws.