Harnessing routinely collected data
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ADVERSE EVENTS
The collection and analysis of project–specific data is expensive and limits the volume and duration of data collection. Routinely collected data can be applied to develop quality indicators [Trials using routinely collected data may also be able to achieve relatively large sample sizes, hence bolstering statistical power to detect modest effect sizes and explore effect modifiers. However, larger samples may be needed to compensate for additional ‘noise’ from using data not originally intended for research. It is important to ensure that any routinely available data are a good fit for the outcomes of interest or based upon reasonable assumptions about relevance. Using unplanned hospital readmission rates in evaluating interventions to improve the process of hospital discharge to patient homes assumes that most such readmissions are driven by adverse events and would rather be avoided by patients and healthcare systems. Just as innovative ‘platform trials’ have been crucial to guide the clinical treatment of COVID-19 [