Promoting Excellence in

Family Medicine

RCGP Weekly Returns Servicedata extraction

D. M. FlemingDirector, Research and Surveillance Centre

Nottingham meeting Sept 22 2011

Promoting Excellence in

Family Medicine

RCGP: WRS 1967-2007

Epidemiological information system from primary care describing incidence in real time and incidence accumulated over annual periods

Established in 1967 initially based on clerical recording system using age-sex registers and diagnostic indexes

Expanded into an electronic recording system between the period of MSGP4 in 1990/91 and1997.

Recording captured all read coded morbidity entries with the attached episode type

Until 2007 all data were processed on the basis of weekly tabular summaries from each practice collected using automated programs

Promoting Excellence in

Family Medicine

RCGP: WRS Since 2007

Tabular summary extraction continues unchanged

New extraction routine introduced whereby patient specific longitudinal data are collected

A slightly enhanced data set is collected ( includes vaccines selected prescriptions and lab results etc) with all patient links preserved.

As new information is entered on the gp record a new extract is taken from the patient EMR covering the relevant entries since 1 Jan 2003. Each extract contains patient specific information but the patient cannot be identified. Each new extract replaces the one held on the existing database.

Routine analyses now include selective linked data

Database available for longitudinal investigation

Promoting Excellence in

Family Medicine

Problems for Discussion

Ethical considerations

Linkage to other data sources not possible ( eg by use of NHS number)

Volume of data transfer (an additive routine first visualised was not workable)

Software differences

Practices changing software supplier

Complexity of analytical routines