Members of the NIH Pragmatic Trials Collaboratory’s Electronic Health Records (EHR) Core Working Group recorded the experiences of pragmatic trial investigators in using computable phenotypes in their studies.
The article was published online in JAMIA Open.
Using real-world data for research poses many challenges, including variations in data documentation practices. Researchers use computable phenotypes—data queries that use specified codes and logical parameters—to standardize the capture of characteristics of interest from real-world data sources, such as EHRs.
The NIH Collaboratory’s EHR Core collected examples from 4 of the NIH Collaboratory Trials to illustrate how computable phenotypes are developed and used in pragmatic trials. Based on these experiences, the Core made several recommendations:
- Develop computable phenotypes as part of a team with multiple areas of expertise
- Use appropriate validation procedures
- Disseminate salient details about phenotype creation
- Capture and report any modifications made to phenotypes during the conduct of the trial