{"title":"Enhancing real world data interoperability in healthcare: A methodological approach to laboratory unit harmonization","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2024.105665","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>The primary aim of this study is to address the critical issue of non-standardized units in clinical laboratory data, which poses significant challenges to data interoperability and secondary usage. Despite UCUM (Unified Code for Units of Measure) offering a unique representation for laboratory test units, nearly 60% of laboratory codes in healthcare organizations use non-standard units. We sought to design, implement and test a methodology for the harmonization of units to the UCUM standards across a large research network.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Using dimensional analysis and a curated equivalence table, the proposed methodology harmonizes disparate units to UCUM standards. The process focused on identifying and converting non-UCUM conforming units, with the goal of enhancing data comparability and interoperability across different systems.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The methodology successfully achieved over 90% coverage of laboratory data with units in UCUM standards across the TriNetX research network, a significant improvement from baseline measurements. This enhancement in unit standardization directly contributed to increased interoperability of laboratory data, facilitating more reliable and comparable data analysis across various healthcare organizations.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The successful harmonization of laboratory data units to UCUM standards represents a significant advancement in the field of biomedical informatics. By demonstrating a practical and effective approach to overcoming the challenges of non-standardized units, our study contributes to the broader efforts to improve data interoperability and usability for secondary purposes such as research and observational studies. Future work will focus on addressing the remaining gaps in unit standardization and exploring the implications of this methodology on clinical outcomes and research capabilities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54950,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Medical Informatics","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.7000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"International Journal of Medical Informatics","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1386505624003289","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"COMPUTER SCIENCE, INFORMATION SYSTEMS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objective
The primary aim of this study is to address the critical issue of non-standardized units in clinical laboratory data, which poses significant challenges to data interoperability and secondary usage. Despite UCUM (Unified Code for Units of Measure) offering a unique representation for laboratory test units, nearly 60% of laboratory codes in healthcare organizations use non-standard units. We sought to design, implement and test a methodology for the harmonization of units to the UCUM standards across a large research network.
Methods
Using dimensional analysis and a curated equivalence table, the proposed methodology harmonizes disparate units to UCUM standards. The process focused on identifying and converting non-UCUM conforming units, with the goal of enhancing data comparability and interoperability across different systems.
Results
The methodology successfully achieved over 90% coverage of laboratory data with units in UCUM standards across the TriNetX research network, a significant improvement from baseline measurements. This enhancement in unit standardization directly contributed to increased interoperability of laboratory data, facilitating more reliable and comparable data analysis across various healthcare organizations.
Conclusion
The successful harmonization of laboratory data units to UCUM standards represents a significant advancement in the field of biomedical informatics. By demonstrating a practical and effective approach to overcoming the challenges of non-standardized units, our study contributes to the broader efforts to improve data interoperability and usability for secondary purposes such as research and observational studies. Future work will focus on addressing the remaining gaps in unit standardization and exploring the implications of this methodology on clinical outcomes and research capabilities.
期刊介绍:
International Journal of Medical Informatics provides an international medium for dissemination of original results and interpretative reviews concerning the field of medical informatics. The Journal emphasizes the evaluation of systems in healthcare settings.
The scope of journal covers:
Information systems, including national or international registration systems, hospital information systems, departmental and/or physician''s office systems, document handling systems, electronic medical record systems, standardization, systems integration etc.;
Computer-aided medical decision support systems using heuristic, algorithmic and/or statistical methods as exemplified in decision theory, protocol development, artificial intelligence, etc.
Educational computer based programs pertaining to medical informatics or medicine in general;
Organizational, economic, social, clinical impact, ethical and cost-benefit aspects of IT applications in health care.