Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the MedicineInsight program, and what data does it collect?

• The MedicineInsight program is a valuable resource for healthcare research in Australia. Electronic health record (EHR) data is collected from consenting general practices. This data encompasses a broad range of patient information, including demographics, general practitioner profiles, clinical and pathological data, medication histories, billing information, and other relevant details. 

2. What is the size of the dataset obtained under the 2019-2024 NHMRC grant?

• The dataset, obtained as part of the NHMRC grant, comprises a random sample of 1.2 million patients in November 2021 from the MedicineInsight program, with records for 1,199,298 patients across 561 general practitioner sites.

3. What format is used to organize the dataset, and what standards are followed? 

•  The dataset is organized into the Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership (OMOP) Common Data Model (CDM) v5.4. This standardized format ensures consistent representation of healthcare experiences throughout the data and utilizes common vocabularies for coding various clinical concepts. 

4. What types of information do the OMOP-CDM tables contain? 

• The OMOP-CDM tables feature a wide array of fields, ranging from coded to free-text formats, covering health care utilization, condition occurrence, and standardized clinical concepts.

5. How has patient privacy been safeguarded in the dataset?

• The data has undergone a rigorous deidentification process to safeguard patient privacy. The project strictly utilized de-identified data, and has obtained ethical approval from the University of New South Wales Human Research Ethics Committee.

6. How does the dataset contribute to advancements in healthcare? 

• This extensive and multifaceted dataset serves as a valuable asset for researchers. It plays a crucial role in driving advancements in healthcare research and quality improvement initiatives within the Australian primary care landscape.  Ultimately, the data contributes to evidence-based decision-making in healthcare. 

7. Who has approved access to the MedicineInsight dataset?

• Access to the MedicineInsight dataset has been approved by the independent Data Governance Committee, ensuring responsible and ethical use of the data.

8. Can the dataset be used for various research purposes? 

• Yes, due to its comprehensive nature and adherence to ethical standards, the dataset can be a valuable resource for researchers, general practitioners, statisticians, and clinicians. It can be used to support a wide range of research endeavors, including both observational and interventional studies. 

9. Can the dataset be used to report on the distance between a patient's residence and their GP practice? 

• While the NPS dataset itself doesn't provide direct distance information, it does include patient and GP practice postcodes.  By employing postcode geocoding techniques, we can estimate distances between these locations. This process involves converting postcodes into coordinates to calculate approximate distances. 

     10. Is ethics approval required to access the data? And what is the typical timeframe for approval? 

• Yes, obtaining ethics approval is mandatory before accessing the data. The approval process typically takes up to 2-3 weeks, although this timeframe may vary depending on the specifics of your project. For further details on the ethics approval process, please refer to the SREDH Consortium Governance documents.