Design of clinical database management systems and associated software to facilitate medical statistical research

Clinical databases are growing rapidly. The clinical database is heavily used for medical research in many settings. This paper discusses design features for medical databases that facilitate their use for research. The database management system should allow complex data structures, have a syntax-facilitating collection of longitudinal data, interface with major statistical software packages, allow an extensive data dictionary, conveniently merge files, facilitate archival documentation, have an associated data entry system that allows complex logical checking, and have coordinated mainframe and microcomputer software.