[Use of hospital data for ophthalmological research : A feasibility study].

AIMS

This study was carried out to investigate whether ophthalmology hospitals can exchange patient data for research purposes, i.e. whether this is technically and legally feasible and whether it is worthwhile, i.e. whether the data are useful for answering important medical questions.

METHODS

In-depth interviews were conducted with experts and a literature search was carried out.

RESULTS

Patient data were found to be fundamentally well-suited for research purposes and there is a corresponding need for research. There are also specific scientific question which need to be answered, e.g. development of visual acuity after various surgical procedures for glaucoma. There are also legal and technical difficulties but it is possible to solve these problems. Potential solutions are described.

DISCUSSION

The results of this study show that it is basically feasible for hospitals and hospital personnel to exchange patient data and to combine them. As opposed to earlier attempts which tried to collect as much data as possible and then analyzed what to do with the data afterwards, it is recommended that a medical question should first be defined followed by a search for data afterwards. Furthermore, researching would be facilitated by an improved exchange of data by information systems.