It’ll help us react much faster to major health threats and unlock the enormous, currently untapped value in all that data.
HSD readers will be more than familiar with the frustrations around interoperability, or lack thereof. Hospital data systems, for instance, differ markedly across states.
The three-year, $9.5 million Australian Health Data Evidence Network (AHDEN) project is planning on changing that.
Led by Professor Nicole Pratt from the University of South Australia, the project’s purpose is to get all of that hospital data in line with international data standards (the OMOP Common Data Model) and make it accessible to researchers across Australia, while keeping all patient data secure at its original location.
“When covid emerged in 2020, Australia’s healthcare data was not harmonised, unlike some other countries, such as South Korea,” Professor Pratt said.
“This made it difficult to get an accurate picture of how the virus was spreading across the country and the effectiveness of treatments and vaccines, especially in vulnerable people.
“Once the AHDEN initiative is implemented, we will be able to identify and respond to future pandemics and major health threats much faster.”
The initiative is being undertaken in partnership with the Australian Research Data Commons, state health departments and universities around the country. It will include training in data governance and analytics for hospitals, clinicians and researchers so they can use the new tool; engagement with organisations, health professionals and the public to ensure broad uptake and alignment with national research priorities; and compliance with privacy and security standards.
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The director of the ARDC, Dr Adrian Burton, said harmonised data would enable the generation of real-world evidence that could “transform” the health system.
“And because we use a globally recognised standard, our researchers can now work with hospitals around the world in massive collaborations to establish powerful evidence to address humanity’s biggest health challenges,” said Dr Burton.
AHDEN is modelled on the European Health Data and Evidence Network project, launched in 2018 and completed last year.
According to the University of South Australia, the benefits of a unified hospital data system here include:
- earlier detection of health issues and evaluation of treatments;
- stronger evidence to support policy and guidelines;
- detection of service gaps and representation of diverse populations to increase equity of access; and
- the ability for Australian researchers to collaborate with international colleagues.