Below is a summary of the recent key improvements we have made to our data repository. The main additions include GP visit data, patient journeys through hospitals, cardiac surgeries and procedures, as well as greater clarity on diagnoses when people have been discharged from Emergency Departments.
A top-level summary of the data we host can be found in the About the Data page. More detailed overviews can be found within our Metadata Catalogue.
GP visit data
The GP Activity (Encounters) dataset captures individual visits to GP practices and is particularly valuable for NHS service management projects. For example, the data could be used to study appointment patterns for GP services, helping to review optimum management of chronic conditions (e.g. diabetes and asthma). These data may also help in understanding why some people require more frequent reviews.
Hospital patient movements and transfers
These datasets capture patient journeys through NHS Lothian hospitals or facilities. By providing information about how and when patients are transferred between different clinical areas and specialist teams, these data can improve the understanding of the care patients receive as they move through the hospital system.
Cardiac surgeries and procedures
The Cardiac Surgery dataset sourced from the TOMCAT database contains information about all cardiac (heart) surgeries completed within the NHS Lothian region. A related procedure database includes less invasive procedures performed by cardiologists, often to open arteries in the heart when patients experience a heart attack (e.g. angiograms). The main purpose of the original data capture is for local and national reporting, but there are clear benefits for research into heart disease and related conditions in terms of treatment and patient outcomes.
Improvement to Emergency Department data: discharge diagnosis
This change in Emergency Department data results in a clearer presentation of the diagnosis made by the responsible clinician when a patient is discharged from Emergency Departments in NHS Lothian. The previous presentation of these data was not intuitive and caused some confusion for researchers seeking these data for their projects.
