Project summary

Background

Healthcare organisations typically invest in a large number of databases and accompanying infrastructure to manage the vast quantities of information necessary for effective health service delivery.   These systems contain a wealth of information that is potentially useful for quality and safety improvement,  but a huge challenge to effectively access and maintain.  As part of information governance requirements, most health information technology departments maintain catalogues of “metadata” which contain information about the various data systems that are developed and maintained, where they reside, what data they contain and how they can be accessed.  Such registers are rarely used by front line health care professionals and clinicians as a means of identifying existing data that can be used to improve the quality and safety of care.  An opportunity therefore exists to promote better use of routinely collected data to improve services and increase the value of institutional investment in data infrastructure.

Outcomes

Using Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust as a case study, we are developing a prototype metadata resource to promote enhanced secondary use of data for quality and safety improvement. Our aim is to develop and evaluate a pilot system, linked to existing Trust information infrastructure, which facilitates access to information for users interested in utilising existing data resources for service improvement.  We are currently in the process of interviewing key stakeholders to determine the barriers they face in accessing electronic information, the ways they have overcome these and what information they may need regarding the information systems that exist. We will then develop and evaluate a prototype of a user-friendly searchable website called PSAQIM which will provide information about trust databases to clinical teams wishing to support patient safety and quality improvement.