Data sharing in the healthcare industry could be the next great step for quality of care. Electronic health records (EHR) can be shared and studied widely to create better, data-driven decisions. Unfortunately, according to research from Columbia University's Department of Biomedical Informatics,
data quality measurement methods for EHRs are still severely lacking.
Columbia researchers Nicole Gray Weiskopf and Chunhua Weng attempted to uncover whether the current data quality assessment tools for health records are consistent and strong across the field. The report authors found many different methods for determining information validity across the field, rather than a centralized standard.
Without a consistent standard for measuring the completeness and validity of health information, the survey authors stated that medical research teams will be unable to re-use their information. Weiskopf and Weng suggested the creation of a new data quality standard for use across the health sector to help the field move forward.
Despite the lingering problems raised by inconsistent measurement methods, Dark Daily recently reported that clinical laboratories are, indeed, focusing on adding data to their operations. The source stated that advanced processes, including analytics using real-time information, are currently seeing adoption by more developed organizations.