e-Health Informatics Research – Securing the UK as a world leader
The wealth of electronic health data within the NHS provides unique opportunities for researchers to identify more effective treatments, improve drug safety, assess risks to public health and study the causes of diseases and disability. Infrastructure initiatives currently under development in England, Scotland and Wales are allowing researchers access to e-health records in a secure environment that protects patient confidentiality. Linking UK e-health records with other forms of routinely collected environmental, social and economic data or with research data sets offers unprecedented opportunities to enhance patient and public health and advance social and medical research.
The UK research funders recognise the enormous benefits of linking electronic health data in research. In 2009 the funders, under the auspices of the Office for Strategic Coordination of Health Research (OSCHR), developed a Strategic Framework for Health Informatics in Support of Research. The Framework builds on the funders’ existing investments in health informatics research by identifying the major issues that need to be addressed to fully realise the research potential offered by increasing access to electronic health-related data sources.
To understand how well the UK is placed to capitalise on these growing research opportunities, the MRC led a mapping exercise in 2010 on behalf of the UK research funders(1) and the Association of British Pharmaceutical Industries (ABPI) to review the UK capability in e-health records research and determine the requirements to support a sustainable e-health informatics research base in the future. Key findings documented in the resulting report were:
- There is a shortage of people with the breadth of skills necessary to carry out the complex linkage and analyses required in health informatics research.
- There is an absence of career structure in enabling roles such as data managers, software engineers, informaticians and data analysts.
- Methodological research in complex data linkage requires further development.
- There are no clear interfaces between researchers and industry, policy makers or the NHS and there is no ready means for sharing best practice.
Responding to the capacity and capability issues highlighted in the report, a consortium of ten UK government and charity research funders have launched a £19m partnership to establish centres of excellence in research linking electronic health data.
For more information see http://www.mrc.ac.uk/E-healthCentresCall
The centres will undertake cutting edge research linking e-health records with other forms of research and routinely collected data, with the aim of building and sustaining a vibrant e-health informatics research capability in the UK.
1. Cancer Research UK (CRUK), Chief Scientist’s Office, Scottish Government Health Directorates (CSO), Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Medical Research Council (MRC), National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), National Institute for Social Care and Health Research (NISCHR), and The Wellcome Trust.
