Novel approach to utilizing electronic health records for dermatologic research: developing a multi-institutional federated data network for clinical and translational research in psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.

The implementation of Electronic Health Records (EHR) in the United States has created new opportunities for research using automated data extraction methods. A large amount of information from the EHR can be utilized for clinical and translational research. To date, a number of institutions have the capability of extracting clinical data from EHR to create local repositories of de-identified data amenable to research queries through the Informatics for Integrated Biology and the Bedside (i2b2) platform. Collaborations among institutions sharing a common i2b2 platform hold exciting opportunities for research in psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. With the automated extraction of patient-level data from multiple institutions, this novel informatics network has the ability to address high-priority research questions. With commitment to high-quality data through applied algorithms for cohort identification and validation of outcomes, the creation of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Integrated Research Data Network (PIONEER) will make a significant contribution to psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis research.