Characterisation of Data Quality in Electronic Healthcare Records

The quality of information depends on the quality of data from which it is derived, but data are of high quality only if they are fit for their intended use. Although electronic healthcare records are collected primarily for patient care and audits, their use in research can also greatly benefit the quality of life of patients. We aim to discuss the challenges and issues involved with measuring data quality in electronic health records for epidemiological and clinical research using the Clinical Practice Research Datalink as a model. We also will share our experiences of assessing data quality in medical primary care database CPRD GOLD and discuss a suggested framework that can help ensure compatibility of data quality measures for different European Electronic Healthcare Records.