Biomedical & Health Informatics Research Guide

In contemporary healthcare, everybody seems to want more data, of higher quality, on more people, and to use this data for a wider range of purposes. In theory, such pervasive data collection should lead to a healthcare system in which data can quickly, efficiently, and unambiguously be interpreted and provide better care for patients, more efficient administration, enhanced options for research, and accelerated economic growth. In practice, however, data are difficult to interpret and the many purposes often undermine one another. This book offers an in-depth look at the paradoxes surrounding healthcare data. It shares the perspectives of different stakeholders, analyzing the social dynamics set in motion by data intensification and calling special attention to that which cannot be easily coded in a database.

Split into three parts, this book covers the whole research journey, beginning with the planning a research project, accessing and organizing EHR data, and the issues to be mindful of. Supported by examples and insights throughout, and applicable across a range of research software programs (R, SPSS and SAS), this book targets students and researchers engaging with EHR across epidemiological and clinical research.