The following are all ways that allow practices to be involved in research, often without having to do anything directly – these involve allowing the organisation to extract information from the practice patient record system, usually anonymised or pseudonymised, to support or feed into research studies. More information is available on the below links:
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CPRD - Collection of de-identified information from patient record system – after joining, the practice doesn’t need to do anything else. Researchers apply to use the de-identified data in their projects which are ethically reviewed and approved. The practice receives patient safety, prescribing and quality improvement reports from practice data. The practice can be invited to participate in studies which can involve extra income for the practice.
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Qresearch - Another anonymised database for EMIS practices only. Only de-identified data are extracted and accessed by approved researchers only within a secure environment. Practices authorise the QResearch module in the EMIS system. The data are held at the University of Oxford. Visit https://www.qresearch.org/information/information-for-practices/ to find out how to take part.
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RCGP - Pseudonymised data are collected from the patient record system (usually extracted overnight) to contribute to public health and other research activity. There is the option to sign up to research projects as well. A dashboard is available to practices.
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uMed - uMed is a technology platform that automates the process of building prospective research registries. Healthcare providers receive research collaboration requests that cover relevant study information. Once approved by the practice, participants are engaged with via text or call and offered the opportunity to take part in a study. Healthcare providers have full oversight over each study and the associated patient engagement and can continue to monitor throughout. uMed is GDPR & HIPAA compliant.