Routinely Collected Data – What Does the Literature Say?

Over the past few years, we’ve spent a lot of time and effort telling everyone who will listen about the potential and capabilities for routinely collected data in health services and randomised clinical trials. We’ve keen to make sure to back up what we’re saying; so this week we bring you 5 published research papers covering diverse areas of health services and drug discovery.

1. RCD can assist policymakers in decision-making about health services

The UK government has recently recognised the need to improve mental health services in the country. Electronic health records provide a rich source of patient data which could help policymakers to better understand needs of the service users. A recent study published in the PLoS ONE journal looked at the statistics of diagnoses recorded in the Case Register of the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. Read more here.

2. RCD is sufficiently reliable for epidemiological research in dementia

Electronic linkage of UK cohorts to routinely collected National Health Service (NHS) records provides virtually complete follow-up for cause-specific hospital admissions and deaths. A recent study assessed the reliability of dementia diagnoses recorded in NHS hospital data, and found that dementia recorded in routinely collected NHS hospital admission data for women in England agrees well with primary care records of dementia assessed separately from two different sources. Read more here.

3. Modernisation of patient medical records improves efficiency while maintaining quality

Despite a substantial investment in Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems, there was little research to evaluate them before their implementation. This study published in the PLoS ONE journal evaluated changes in efficiency and quality of services after the introduction of a purpose built EMR system at a sexual health centre. The introduction of an EMR improved efficiency while maintaining quality, and was popular with staff too. Read more here.

4. RCD can be used to stratify cancer patients into phases of care of the UK

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy in British men. Advances in its treatment have improved survival rates, but many survivors require medical support for the management of their progressive disease or long-term toxicities from previous treatments. RCD provides data to definitively quantify the number of patients who follow different pathways of care, allowing for improved funding allocation and healthcare planning. Read more here.

5. The UK is suited to a Real-World data approach to international drug development

Assessments of the safety, efficacy and appropriate use of new medicines lie at the heart of treatment development and subsequent adoption in clinical practice. Highly controlled randomised clinical trials routinely inform decisions on the approval, coverage and use of a medicine. The UK, with its connectivity and rich longitudinal patient records, accumulated research and informatics experience and National Health Service, provides an exemplar of how real world data address a wide range of challenges across drug development. Read more here.