In addition to updating the data we host – including our Respiratory Registry – there are a number of exciting DataLoch developments to share.
We have significantly improved prescriptions data to offer new research opportunities. We are also incorporating more non-medical data within our repository to enhance the potential for exploring other influences on population health and wellbeing. Furthermore, we are actively inviting researchers to contact us to discuss NHS Lothian hospital data that may not be in our Metadata Catalogue, but may be available for specific research projects.
Explore these enhancements below, alongside news about the DataLoch Cancer service, our support for frontline homelessness services, and a recently launched training module.
Please Connect with Us if you want to find out more or start project discussions.
Improving prescriptions data for research
We have incorporated new hospital discharge prescriptions data into our repository – as well as improving our community (non-hospital) prescribing data – to enhance our support for research and innovation. These data have also been aligned to make the connections more intuitive for researchers and provide a better overview of treatments. Explore what we have already achieved and our next steps:
Enhanced prescription data – hospital discharge and community
Opening the door to research around the impact of social factors on health
An important aspect of DataLoch’s mission is to support research into the social determinants of health: non-medical factors that influence a person’s health and wellbeing. Some factors can be determined through geospatial data (such as urban or rural settings, distance from amenities, crime rates), which offer important contextual information for health research. We are working to address the challenges around deriving geospatial data.
Enabling research into non-medical factors on health and wellbeing
Invitation to approach DataLoch for new hospital data
Within the TrakCare clinical system used by NHS Lothian, there is an abundance of critical data. We have already prepared research-ready extracts of much of these data and made them available for research through our Metadata Catalogue. However, there are many datasets that have not yet been made research ready, but may offer valuable insights for researchers who are prepared to work with these data. Find out more and get in touch:
Research opportunities for hospital data beyond our Metadata Catalogue
Upgrading the data supporting homelessness-service interventions
Beyond delivering data extracts for research and NHS service-improvement projects, we directly support the health and social care system. As one impactful example, we have developed a close relationship with the NHS Lothian Analytical Services’ Public Health Team and improved support for Cyrenians: a Scottish charity tackling the causes and consequences of homelessness. They are now able to access the latest emergency-accommodation locations to inform intervention decisions.
Developing improved assistance for homelessness services
DataLoch and Edinburgh Cancer Informatics: collaborating to improve cancer care
Through our close partnership, DataLoch and Edinburgh Cancer Informatics ensure cancer data enables vital contributions to a range of research and innovation priorities. The opportunity to combine everyday health data from NHS Lothian hospital and GP sources with cancer-specific data offers broader insights into the patient journey. Discover the projects that have already been delivered and how to access the DataLoch Cancer service:
Developing new insights: the DataLoch Cancer research service
Joining the pilot UK Real-World Evidence Network
DataLoch and the Edinburgh Cancer Informatics team have successfully joined the pilot phase of the Real-World Evidence Network, funded by Health Data Research UK (HDR UK). This UK-wide collaboration will focus on overcoming the issues around integrating data from multiple sources to deliver two studies: one on the use of antibiotics, and the second on the use of novel and expensive medicines in different NHS settings.
Discover more through the HDR UK funding announcement
Safe Data Access free training module
Safe Data Access: Working in Trusted Research Environments is a free, online course that allows you to progress through six modules at your own pace. Offered through the Usher Institute, this new course is most suited to people working with data outwith academic research or the NHS, including in start-ups and SMEs, software developers, care providers and data controllers. The course takes 2-3 hours to complete and is open until 9 December.
Register for Safe Data Access training
To find out more about any of our developments, or to open discussions around possible projects, please Connect with Us.
