Health Informatics
What are Health Informatics?
Health Informatics (HIs) involve the creation of a ‘digital assistance tool’ within clinical software. These tools are intended for pragmatic use across the CRN. PRIDES does not involve data sharing. Our service is fundamentally concerned with standardising process and governance for developing and sharing digital assistance tools in popular clinical systems for the purpose of conducting research.
HIs are in effect the translation of a research study protocol (inclusion and exclusion criteria) into a digital prompt or assist to identify eligible patients from GP records for specific CRN studies.
What do Health Informatics for research do?
Health Informatics can enhance the opportunity for recruitment by helping clinicians search for patients with relevant conditions or with a pop-up or reminder to a clinician to discuss relevant research opportunities when they are consulting with the patient or reviewing their long-term condition.
Once a Health Informatics has been created, it can be shared either by posting a file on a website for download, emailed across the CRN, shared via sharing groups on GP clinical systems (e.g SystmOne or EMIS Enterprise) or by recreating the search criteria and sharing in FARSITE.
Are there any data protection issues with Health Informatics for research?
Health Informatics can be widely shared, however they do not contravene data protection laws because the data are stored securely by system software providers. PRIDES uses a nationally agreed and consistent process for Health Informatic development and sharing. Our service can reduce inefficiencies in data gathering and recruitment and reduce the costs associated with using multiple independent integration of tools at multiple sites. PRIDES processes have the added benefit of reducing data breach risks from unnecessary software installations for research in GP practices by developing the most appropriate and safe solution for the study.
What are the different Health Informatics options?
Please watch this brief video, which provides a guide on some aspects of HI tools such as:
the differing ways that HI tools in GP clinical systems can be utilised
how different types of HI tools can support different types of patient Identification and recruitment
13. HI tools (w/ voiceover) (Final 16/11)Different studies have different requirements of the HI tools that they utilise
Many research studies and clinical trials look to identify patients in Primary Care who may be suitable for the research in question, in differing ways requiring different tools, such as:
Identifying potentially eligible patients from historical records
Prompting clinicians to engage with a patient about a research opportunity
Linking to new technology through 'big data' options or new communication tools
14. Different HI tools - which suits?The use of text messaging for research invitations
Text messaging is an ever growing method for inviting people to research studies but their are some things to consider when assessing this method of communication. This short video addresses:
How text messaging can be used to support research in Primary Care
The differing systems and methods within which text messaging can be utilised
The considerations when text messaging is chosen above other communication methods
Text messaging overview.mp4
PRIDES HIs and Data Sharing
Although our HIs do not involve data sharing they do have the added benefit of supporting data sharing solutions such as the NIHR sponsored Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). Our LCRNs are encouraged to have early stage discussions with study teams, thereby helping ensure the proper use of research code tagging for recruitment when GP sites are asked to add patient alerts or scan in consent forms. These in turn are used as part of the research coded record that is extracted via CPRD and other datasets.
How can we use Health Informatics for Primary Care research?
Want to find out more about how Health Informatics support Primary Care research?
In this video one of our PRIDES Experts, Dr. Lisa Gibbons explains how HIs work.
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