Exploring challenges and strategies when using medical databases in research: a review

Abstract

The use of medical databases in research is well-established in the UK, and is likely to intensify further with the launch of the care.data programme in England. However, managing and analysing these datasets is not straightforward. Specialised knowledge is required, in addition to computer resources and the development of comprehensive data analysis plans. A lot can be learnt from the published literature regarding the shortcomings of these data and possible strategies to deal with them. This presentation will discuss the findings from a literature review (ongoing) which aims to investigate such challenges and strategies in order to inform a large study using linked patient databases. This review was also presented at the 43rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Society for Academic Primary Care on the 11th July 2014