Intractable & Rare Diseases Research
Online ISSN : 2186-361X
Print ISSN : 2186-3644
ISSN-L : 2186-3644
Review
Different approaches to improve cohort identification using electronic health records: X-linked hypophosphatemia as an example
Jose Jesus Broseta
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2021 Volume 10 Issue 1 Pages 17-22

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Abstract

Electronic Health Records (EHRs) represent a source of high value data which is often underutilized because exploiting the information contained therein requires specialized techniques unavailable to the end user i.e. the physician or the investigator. Here I describe four simple and practical avenues that will allow the standard EHR end user to identify patient cohorts: the use of diagnostic codes from different international catalogues; a search in reports from complementary tests (e.g. radiographs or lab tests) for any result of interest; a free text search; or a drug prescription search in the patient's electronic prescription record. This medical approach is acquiring great importance in the field of rare diseases, and here I demonstrate its application with X-linked hypophosphatemia. The use of these four EHR questioning approaches makes finding a cohort of patients of any condition or disease feasible and manageable, and once each case record is checked, a well-defined cohort can be assembled.

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© 2021 International Research and Cooperation Association for Bio & Socio-Sciences Advancement
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