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Directory of clinical databases: improving and promoting their use
1Department of Public Health & Policy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK. nick.black@lshtm.ac.uk
Quality & Safety in Health Care
|October 9, 2003
Summary
A new online directory and quality assessment tool for UK clinical databases has been developed. This resource improves access to reliable health data for research and clinical use.
Area of Science:
- Health Informatics
- Data Management
- Clinical Research
Background:
- Clinical databases vary greatly in content and quality, limiting their use.
- Lack of knowledge about database availability further restricts their application.
Purpose of the Study:
- To create a standardized method for assessing clinical database quality (completeness, accuracy).
- To establish a web-based directory of UK clinical databases.
Main Methods:
- An expert group defined inclusion criteria and developed a 10-item quality assessment instrument based on epidemiological theory.
- The instrument was tested for validity, acceptability to custodians, and refined.
- A dedicated website (www.docdat.org) was designed and implemented.
Main Results:
- Inclusion criteria were established for individual-level data from multiple providers based on common circumstances or outcomes.
- The quality assessment instrument demonstrated good validity and acceptability, with no floor/ceiling effects.
- The website, www.docdat.org, was launched and showed increasing popularity with approximately 3500 monthly hits by November 2002.
Conclusions:
- A functional website now enables users to find suitable UK clinical databases.
- Future plans include developing a local hospital version and promoting similar national systems internationally.