A review of the use of routine data on CHD in general practice research in Scotland

The primary aim of the Platform Project is to maximise the use of routine data for primary care research in Scotland.

To assess the extent to which routine data is available and has been used in studies on CHD in General Practice research in Scotland. To assess the advantages and limitations of using routine data in this setting.

Literature review using a variety of databases catalogues and websites, bibliographies of articles retrieved and searching through journals by hand not available electronically.

This review has found that the use of routine data in CHD studies in General Practice research in Scotland remains small. There has been little work undertaken which has combined the use of routine data with other research methods. Limitations with routine data exist particularly with regard to risk factors and ethnicity. However, despite such limitations there exists an increasingly extensive range of data, which exists to help explain tends in CHD, which so far has been largely underused.