Approaches for combining primary care electronic health record data from multiple sources: a systematic review of observational studies

ObjectiveTo identify observational studies which used data from more than one primary care electronic health record (EHR) database, and summarise key characteristics including: objective and rationale for using multiple data sources; methods used to manage, analyse and (where applicable) combine data; and approaches used to assess and report heterogeneity between data sources.DesignA systematic review of published studies.Data sourcesPubmed and Embase databases were searched using list of named primary care EHR databases; supplementary hand searches of reference list of studies were retained after initial screening.Study selectionObservational studies published between January 2000 and May 2018 were selected, which included at least two different primary care EHR databases.Results6054 studies were identified from database and hand searches, and 109 were included in the final review, the majority published between 2014 and 2018. Included studies used 38 different primary care EHR data sources. Forty-seven studies (44%) were descriptive or methodological. Of 62 analytical studies, 22 (36%) presented separate results from each database, with no attempt to combine them; 29 (48%) combined individual patient data in a one-stage meta-analysis and 21 (34%) combined estimates from each database using two-stage meta-analysis. Discussion and exploration of heterogeneity was inconsistent across studies.ConclusionsComparing patterns and trends in different populations, or in different primary care EHR databases from the same populations, is important and a common objective for multi-database studies. When combining results from several databases using meta-analysis, provision of separate results from each database is helpful for interpretation. We found that these were often missing, particularly for studies using one-stage approaches, which also often lacked details of any statistical adjustment for heterogeneity and/or clustering. For two-stage meta-analysis, a clear rationale should be provided for choice of fixed effect and/or random effects or other models.

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Characterization and selection of Japanese electronic health record databases used as data sources for non-interventional observational studies

10.21203/rs.3.rs-184585/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yumi Wakabayashi ◽

Masamitsu Eitoku ◽

Narufumi Suganuma

Keyword(s):

Electronic Health Record ◽

Observational Studies ◽

Large Scale ◽

Data Sources ◽

Flow Diagram ◽

Health Record ◽

Medical Institutions ◽

Data Source ◽

Electronic Health ◽

Using Data

Abstract Background Interventional studies are the fundamental method for obtaining answers to clinical question. However, these studies are sometimes difficult to conduct because of insufficient financial or human resources or the rarity of the disease in question. One means of addressing these issues is to conduct a non-interventional observational study using electronic health record (EHR) databases as the data source, although how best to evaluate the suitability of an EHR database when planning a study remains to be clarified. The aim of the present study is to identify and characterize the data sources that have been used for conducting non-interventional observational studies in Japan and propose a flow diagram to help researchers determine the most appropriate EHR database for their study goals. Methods We compiled a list of published articles reporting observational studies conducted in Japan by searching PubMed for relevant articles published in the last 3 years and by searching database providers’ publication lists related to studies using their databases. For each article, we reviewed the abstract and/or full text to obtain information about data source, target disease or therapeutic area, number of patients, and study design (prospective or retrospective). We then characterized the identified EHR databases. Results In Japan, non-interventional observational studies have been mostly conducted using data stored locally at individual medical institutions (713/1463) or collected from several collaborating medical institutions (351/1463). Whereas the studies conducted with large-scale integrated databases (195/1463) were mostly retrospective (68.2%), 27.2% of the single-center studies, 46.2% of the multi-center studies, and 74.4% of the post-marketing surveillance studies, identified in the present study, were conducted prospectively. Conclusions Our analysis revealed that the non-interventional observational studies were conducted using data stored local at individual medical institutions or collected from collaborating medical institutions in Japan. Disease registries, disease databases, and large-scale databases would enable researchers to conduct studies with large sample sizes to provide robust data from which strong inferences could be drawn. Using our flow diagram, researchers planning non-interventional observational studies should consider the strengths and limitations of each available database and choose the most appropriate one for their study goals. Trial registration Not applicable.

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Characterization and selection of Japanese electronic health record databases used as data sources for non-interventional observational studies

BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making ◽

10.1186/s12911-021-01526-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yumi Wakabayashi ◽

Masamitsu Eitoku ◽

Narufumi Suganuma

Keyword(s):

Electronic Health Record ◽

Observational Studies ◽

Large Scale ◽

Data Sources ◽

Flow Diagram ◽

Health Record ◽

Medical Institutions ◽

Data Source ◽

Electronic Health ◽

Using Data

Abstract Background Interventional studies are the fundamental method for obtaining answers to clinical questions. However, these studies are sometimes difficult to conduct because of insufficient financial or human resources or the rarity of the disease in question. One means of addressing these issues is to conduct a non-interventional observational study using electronic health record (EHR) databases as the data source, although how best to evaluate the suitability of an EHR database when planning a study remains to be clarified. The aim of the present study is to identify and characterize the data sources that have been used for conducting non-interventional observational studies in Japan and propose a flow diagram to help researchers determine the most appropriate EHR database for their study goals. Methods We compiled a list of published articles reporting observational studies conducted in Japan by searching PubMed for relevant articles published in the last 3 years and by searching database providers’ publication lists related to studies using their databases. For each article, we reviewed the abstract and/or full text to obtain information about data source, target disease or therapeutic area, number of patients, and study design (prospective or retrospective). We then characterized the identified EHR databases. Results In Japan, non-interventional observational studies have been mostly conducted using data stored locally at individual medical institutions (663/1511) or collected from several collaborating medical institutions (315/1511). Whereas the studies conducted with large-scale integrated databases (330/1511) were mostly retrospective (73.6%), 27.5% of the single-center studies, 47.6% of the multi-center studies, and 73.7% of the post-marketing surveillance studies, identified in the present study, were conducted prospectively. We used our findings to develop an assessment flow diagram to assist researchers in evaluating and choosing the most suitable EHR database for their study goals. Conclusions Our analysis revealed that the non-interventional observational studies were conducted using data stored local at individual medical institutions or collected from collaborating medical institutions in Japan. Disease registries, disease databases, and large-scale databases would enable researchers to conduct studies with large sample sizes to provide robust data from which strong inferences could be drawn.

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