The Evolving Use of Electronic Health Records (EHR) for Research

Ellen Kim; Samuel M Rubinstein; Kevin T Nead; Andrzej P Wojcieszynski; Peter E Gabriel; Jeremy L Warner

doi:10.1016/j.semradonc.2019.05.010

The Evolving Use of Electronic Health Records (EHR) for Research

Semin Radiat Oncol. 2019 Oct;29(4):354-361. doi: 10.1016/j.semradonc.2019.05.010.

Authors

Ellen Kim¹, Samuel M Rubinstein², Kevin T Nead³, Andrzej P Wojcieszynski³, Peter E Gabriel³, Jeremy L Warner⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Radiation Oncology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN.
² Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN.
³ Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA.
⁴ Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN; Department of Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN. Electronic address: Jeremy.warner@vumc.org.

PMID: 31472738
DOI: 10.1016/j.semradonc.2019.05.010

Abstract

Electronic health records (EHR) have been implemented successfully in a majority of United States healthcare systems in some form. There has been a rise in secondary uses of EHR, especially for research. EHR data is large, heterogenous, incomplete, noisy, and primarily created for purposes other than research. This presents many challenges, many of which are beginning to be overcome with the application of computer science artificial intelligence techniques, such as natural language processing and machine learning. EHR are gradually being redesigned to facilitate future research, though we are still far from a "complete EHR."

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Electronic Health Records*
Health Services Research / methods*
Humans
Insemination, Artificial*
United States