Methods for generating and evaluating synthetic longitudinal patient data: a systematic review

TL;DR

This systematic review examines methods for generating and evaluating synthetic longitudinal patient data in healthcare, highlighting gaps in privacy-preserving techniques and comprehensive assessment of data resemblance, utility, and privacy.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive mapping of existing methods for synthetic longitudinal data generation and evaluation, identifying gaps and areas for future research.

Findings

39 methods identified for synthetic longitudinal data generation

Few methods incorporate privacy-preserving mechanisms

Most studies evaluate resemblance and utility, but privacy assessment is limited

Abstract

The rapid growth in data availability has facilitated research and development, yet not all industries have benefited equally due to legal and privacy constraints. The healthcare sector faces significant challenges in utilizing patient data because of concerns about data security and confidentiality. To address this, various privacy-preserving methods, including synthetic data generation, have been proposed. Synthetic data replicate existing data as closely as possible, acting as a proxy for sensitive information. While patient data are often longitudinal, this aspect remains underrepresented in existing reviews of synthetic data generation in healthcare. This paper maps and describes methods for generating and evaluating synthetic longitudinal patient data in real-life settings through a systematic literature review, conducted following the PRISMA guidelines and incorporating data from five databases up to May 2024. Thirty-nine methods were identified, with four addressing all challenges of longitudinal data generation, though none included privacy-preserving mechanisms. Resemblance was evaluated in most studies, utility in the majority, and privacy in just over half. Only a small fraction of studies assessed all three aspects. Our findings highlight the need for further research in this area.