Sharing of military Veterans’ mental health data across Canada: A scoping review

Abstract: Introduction: Data on Canadian military Veterans’ mental health are needed to develop and improve mental health services. It is not clear to what extent such data are available and connected across sources. Methods: A scoping review of peer-reviewed journal articles (white literature) and government and organizational resources (grey literature) was conducted to identify sources of Canadian Veteran mental health data, linkages between them, and policies or guidelines related to information sharing across sources. Results: Ten different data sources related to military Veterans’ mental health in Canada were found, particularly Statistics Canada data sets and administrative data sets such as those of Veterans Affairs Canada. These data sources are shared in a few ways that have advantages and disadvantages. No policies or guidelines were found that specifically address information sharing across these data sets. Discussion: Secure, Accessible, eFfective, and Efficient (SAFE) information sharing across these data sources is implied but not confirmed. Key challenges involve lack of centralization (or coordination), lack of (systematic) collaboration, lack of specific policies (and guidelines), and lack of standardization. It is recommended that consideration be given to establishing a repository of relevant data sets, policies, and guidelines for information sharing across all relevant data sets (addressing collaboration across Canadian jurisdictions and SAFEty measures) and standardization across such data sets.