The Electronic Health Record as the Primary Data Source in a Pragmatic Trial: A Case Study

Med Decis Making. 2022 Nov;42(8):975-984. doi: 10.1177/0272989X211069980. Epub 2022 Jan 12.

Abstract

Electronic health records are not a single system but a series of overlapping and legacy systems that require time and expertise to use efficiently.Commonly measured patient characteristics such as weight and body mass index are relatively easy to locate for most trial enrollees but less common characteristics, like ejection fraction, are not.Acquiring essential supplementary data-in this trial, state data on hospital admission-can be a lengthy and difficult process.

Keywords: clinical trial; electronic health record; heart failure; hospital admissions; pragmatic trial.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Electronic Health Records*
  • Hospitalization
  • Humans
  • Information Storage and Retrieval
  • Pragmatic Clinical Trials as Topic*