Should Electronic Health Record-Derived Social and Behavioral Data Be Used in Precision Medicine Research?

Precision medicine research initiatives aim to use participants' electronic health records (EHRs) to obtain rich longitudinal data for large-scale precision medicine studies. Although EHRs vary widely in their inclusion and formatting of social and behavioral data, these data are essential to investigating genetic and social factors in health disparities. We explore possible biases in collecting, using, and interpreting EHR-based social and behavioral data in precision medicine research and their consequences for health equity.