Outcome analysis: considerations for an electronic health record.

The concept of analyzing large observational databases, including fully electronic health records, to determine optimal patterns of care and ideal treatment strategies has blossomed now that large organizations and government agencies are recognizing the potential value of computer-stored patient information. However, computer-based patient records may not offer the detail and uniformity in presentation of clinical data that are needed for accurate analysis of their contents. In addition, pooling data from multiple electronic sources to perform outcome studies is impeded by the absence of widely used standards for data interchange and data representation. This report examines the requirements for outcome analysis and the features that a computerized clinical database should possess in order to minimize data ambiguity and ensure that the results of outcome-studies are meaningful.