Oxford University Hospitals
Developing a secure data environment for research
Introduction to the client
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH) is one of the UK’s largest NHS teaching trusts and a leader in clinical excellence.
The trust is currently developing the Thames Valley and Surrey Secure Data Environment (SDE) to enhance data access for clinical researchers.
Seamless, low-cost access to research data
OUH needed to ensure that data within the SDE was structured in a way that could be readily consumed by researchers using standard clinical research tools.
The goal was to implement the Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership (OMOP) Common Data Model, the leading model for clinical data analytics, to provide seamless, low-cost access to research data.
This involved developing a scalable mapping process from current data formats to the OMOP model and recommending an architecture to support this transformation.
Transforming the use of data
By collaborating with OUH, we conducted an options appraisal, evaluating off-the-shelf and bespoke solutions based on OUH's requirements.
A custom solution was chosen to tightly integrate documentation, adding more value despite the higher costs.
We simultaneously built and improved the bespoke solution, conducting mappings from four source datasets to the OMOP Common Data Model v5.4.
Additionally, we developed a GitHub site to promote adoption and gather feedback from the research community. A robust process for analysing, mapping, and transforming data was established, including defining the scope, conducting analysis, transforming the data, and validating the outputs.
Scalable process for future mapping and transformations
Answer Digital implemented the OMOP Data Model for key datasets, including oncology, and created a scalable process for future mapping and transformations. The mapping impacted:
- 945,000 observations
- 183,000 patients
- 806,000 visits
- 297,000 conditions
- 274,000 procedures
The solution also supports OUH’s Mauro Data Mapper tool, enabling efficient and consistent data management. This project has laid the foundation for future phases of SDE development, ensuring researchers have easy access to essential data for advancing healthcare research and improving patient outcomes.
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