Feasibility of Combining Common Data Elements Across Studies to Test a Hypothesis.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Science
• Health Informatics
• Data Science

Background:

• Collaborative initiatives are crucial for advancing nursing science.
• Sharing data and developing common data repositories facilitate complex research.
• Previous work identified common data elements (CDEs) for symptoms and self-management.

Purpose of the Study:

• Evaluate the feasibility of collecting CDEs across five nursing schools.
• Assess the development of a common data repository for hypothesis testing.
• Build upon existing CDEs to support reproducible, patient-focused nursing research.

Main Methods:

• Two exemplars were presented: retrospective and prospective data collection.
• Methods included identifying common symptoms, collecting data dictionaries, and defining/comparing data elements.
• Prospective methods involved establishing data dictionaries and common measurement/analysis strategies.

Main Results:

• Retrospective data merging was challenging without a priori planning, hindering cross-study hypothesis testing.
• Prospective data collection and merging proved feasible.
• A prospective plan supports merged hypothesis testing and the development of a common data repository.

Conclusions:

• Despite challenges, a prospective protocol for CDEs is feasible for creating a common data repository.
• This approach advances nursing science by enabling merged hypothesis testing.
• Incorporating CDEs enhances data validity, reliability, transparency, and reproducibility.