Overview
Data queries and extraction
We assist UW investigators with developing data queries and securely delivering both de-identified data and patient-specific data from UW Health data. This data can be used to support your research including feasibility assessments, recruitment of participants, pilot studies, and retrospective analyses.
We handle two types of data queries:
- Feasibility counts that are simple requests for count-level data, e.g., “How many patients in the UW Health data meet criteria X, Y, and Z?”
- Data requests are needed for research that is complex (multi-term or conditional), or if the request is for protected health information (PHI)
We also support data requests that involve more detailed data than simple feasibility counts and may require IRB approval or waiver depending upon whether the request contains only de-identified data, a limited data set, or fully identified data.
EHR development
In partnership with UW Health Informatics Services, researchers can use Epic as a platform to support interventions, support recruitment, develop alerts, and facilitate research logistics at the point of care.
Some types and uses of EHR developments include:
- Data collection with SmarText, SmartForms
- Research protocols with Flowsheets, Order Sets
- Recruitment by using Best Practice Alerts (BPAs), Reporting Workbench
Research computing and data storage
Consider SMPH Computing (Platform X) for your research computing and data storage needs. This infrastructure combines state-of-the-art virtualization and private cloud technologies to provide investigators with a secure environment to store and compute research data.
If you need computing and storage for your research, complete the Platform X form.
Consults
An informatics expert is available to meet with you to support clinical research study feasibility, recruitment, and analysis. Some topics you may consider with us include informatics planning, data modeling, data security and privacy, applications design, and data quality assessment.
Please submit a consult request to learn more about working with CHI2 experts in this area. Check “I’d just like to start by talking to someone” or “What I’m interested in isn’t on the list” and describe your research needs in the Notes fields.
How do I request clinical research data?
Clinical data can be requested through the Informatics consult form. The more preparation you do, the better we can help you with your data request. To help you fill out the optional Data Elements section of the consult form, begin by creating a detailed description of the patients who are relevant to your research question, including dates of service, demographics, diagnoses, procedures, treatments, and lab tests and determining exact ICD9, ICD10 and CPT codes for your query.
Other elements to consider include:
- Inclusion and exclusion criteria
- Inclusion date range
- Study population (age, gender, race, ethnicity)
- Data elements needed
- Define the constraints (filters)
- Inpatient
- Outpatient
- “Medical home” here
- Department restrictions
- Data format for delivery
Contact information
Email the team at chi2info@hslc.wisc.edu.