Creating a health informatics data resource for hearing health research

Mehta, Nishchay; Ribeyre, Baptiste Briot; Dimitrov, Lilia; English, Louise J.; Ewart, Colleen; Heinrich, Antje; Joshi, Nikhil; Munro, Kevin J.; Roadknight, Gail; Romao, Luis; Schilder, Anne Gm; Spriggs, Ruth V.; Norris, Ruth; Ross, Talisa; Tilston, George

Abstract

Background
The National Institute of Health and Social Care Research (NIHR) Health Informatics Collaborative (HIC) for Hearing Health has been established in the UK to curate routinely collected hearing health data to address research questions. This study defines priority research areas, outlines its aims, governance structure and demonstrates how hearing health data have been integrated into a common data model using pure tone audiometry (PTA) as a case study.

Methods
After identifying key research aims in hearing health, the governance structure for the NIHR HIC for Hearing Health is described. The Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership (OMOP) was chosen as our common data model to provide a case study example.

Results
The NIHR HIC Hearing Health theme have developed a data architecture outlying the flow of data from all of the various siloed electronic patient record systems to allow the effective linkage of data from electronic patient record systems to research systems. Using PTAs as an example, OMOPification of hearing health data successfully collated a rich breadth of datapoints across multiple centres.

Conclusion
This study identified priority research areas where routinely collected hearing health data could be useful. It demonstrates integration and standardisation of such data into a common data model from multiple centres. By describing the process of data sharing across the HIC, we hope to invite more centres to contribute and utilise data to address research questions in hearing health. This national initiative has the power to transform UK hearing research and hearing care using routinely collected clinical data.

Citation

Mehta, N., Ribeyre, B. B., Dimitrov, L., English, L. J., Ewart, C., Heinrich, A., Joshi, N., Munro, K. J., Roadknight, G., Romao, L., Schilder, A. G., Spriggs, R. V., Norris, R., Ross, T., & Tilston, G. (2024). Creating a health informatics data resource for hearing health research. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, 24(1), Article 209. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12911-024-02589-x

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 25, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Jul 29, 2024
• Publication Date: Jul 29, 2024
• Deposit Date: Aug 1, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 2, 2024
• Journal: BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making
• Electronic ISSN: 1472-6947
• Publisher: Springer Verlag
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 24
• Issue: 1
• Article Number: 209
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12911-024-02589-x
• Keywords: Database, Hearing health, Data sharing
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/37894060
• Publisher URL: https://bmcmedinformdecismak.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12911-024-02589-x