Use of Data from Electronic Health Records for Pharmacoepidemiology

The increased availability of digital data from electronic health records (EHR) systems has created heightened interest in their use in pharmacoepidemiology. Sources of such data have been somewhat restrictive and not generally accessible to scientists because of institutional policies. However, these data-access restrictions appear to be diminishing. The recent thrust by the Institute of Medicine and other policy-influencing groups to establish learning health systems has argued for broader use of digital data from health systems for the growing needs of researchers who seek out best evidence in health care. Pharmacoepidemiologists are especially well poised to contribute to this new era because of their long-standing use of digital data in their research. While EHR data will increase in terms of volume, it is important for investigators to spend time understanding the data, including verifying format and quality. Unlike claims data that often follow a standard format, EHR data, particularly from disparate health systems such as contained in health information exchanges, often vary in terms of completeness, format, and quality. It is therefore helpful for investigators to work closely with individuals who are tuned into each data source being considered for research. EHR data are at the core of the exciting new thrust to analyze big healthcare data for pharmacoepidemiology.