Diabetes and the direct secondary use of electronic health records: Using routinely collected and stored data to drive research and understanding. (October 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Robbins, Tim; Lim Choi Keung, Sarah N; Sankar, Sailesh; Randeva, Harpal; Arvanitis, Theodoros N
• Is Part Of: Digital health. Volume 4(2018)
• Publication Date: 2018-10
• Subjects: electronic health records -- electronic patient records -- electronic medical records -- informatics -- diabetes mellitus; Medical care -- Data processing -- Periodicals; Medical informatics -- Periodicals; 362.10285
• DOI: 10.1177/2055207618804650
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2055-2076

Abstract

Introduction: Electronic health records provide an unparalleled opportunity for the use of patient data that is routinely collected and stored, in order to drive research and develop an epidemiological understanding of disease. Diabetes, in particular, stands to benefit, being a data-rich, chronic-disease state. This article aims to provide an understanding of the extent to which the healthcare sector is using routinely collected and stored data to inform research and epidemiological understanding of diabetes mellitus. Methods: Narrative literature review of articles, published in both the medical- and engineering-based informatics literature. Results: There has been a significant increase in the number of papers published, which utilise electronic health records as a direct data source for diabetes research. These articles consider a diverse range of research questions. Internationally, the secondary use of electronic health records, as a research tool, is most prominent in the USA. The barriers most commonly described in research studies include missing values and misclassification, alongside challenges of establishing the generalisability of results. Discussion: Electronic health record research is an important and expanding area of healthcare research. Much of the research output remains in the form of conference abstracts and proceedings, rather than journal articles. There is enormous opportunity within the United Kingdom to develop these research methodologies, due to national patient identifiers. Such a healthcare context may enable UK researchers to overcome many of the barriers encountered elsewhere and thus to truly unlock the potential of electronic health records.