Appl Clin Inform 2018; 09(02): 366-376
DOI: 10.1055/s-0038-1651496
Research Article
Schattauer

The Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network Registry: A Multicenter Electronic Health Record Registry of Pediatric Emergency Care

Sara J. Deakyne Davies
1   Department of Research Informatics, Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, Colorado, United States
,
Robert W. Grundmeier
2   Department of Pediatrics and Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
,
Diego A. Campos
3   Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
,
Katie L. Hayes
4   Department of Pediatrics, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, District of Columbia, United States
,
Jamie Bell
5   Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
,
Evaline A. Alessandrini
6   Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
,
Lalit Bajaj
7   Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado and Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, Colorado, United States
,
James M. Chamberlain
4   Department of Pediatrics, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, District of Columbia, United States
,
Marc H. Gorelick
8   Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin and Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Milwaukee Wisconsin, United States
,
Rene Enriquez
5   Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
,
T. Charles Casper
5   Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
,
Beth Scheid
6   Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
,
Marlena Kittick
9   Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
,
J. Michael Dean
5   Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
,
Elizabeth R. Alpern
10   Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States
,
the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network › Author Affiliations
Funding This project work was supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) grant R01HS020270. The PECARN infrastructure was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB), and the Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) Network Development Demonstration Program under cooperative agreements U03MC00008, U03MC00001, U03MC00003, U03MC00006, U03MC00007, U03MC22684, and U03MC22685.
Further Information

Publication History

21 November 2017

29 March 2018

Publication Date:
23 May 2018 (online)

Abstract

Background Electronic health record (EHR)-based registries allow for robust data to be derived directly from the patient clinical record and can provide important information about processes of care delivery and patient health outcomes.

Methods A data dictionary, and subsequent data model, were developed describing EHR data sources to include all processes of care within the emergency department (ED). ED visit data were deidentified and XML files were created and submitted to a central data coordinating center for inclusion in the registry. Automated data quality control occurred prior to submission through an application created for this project. Data quality reports were created for manual data quality review.

Results The Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) Registry, representing four hospital systems and seven EDs, demonstrates that ED data from disparate health systems and EHR vendors can be harmonized for use in a single registry with a common data model. The current PECARN Registry represents data from 2,019,461 pediatric ED visits, 894,503 distinct patients, more than 12.5 million narrative reports, and 12,469,754 laboratory tests and continues to accrue data monthly.

Conclusion The Registry is a robust harmonized clinical registry that includes data from diverse patients, sites, and EHR vendors derived via data extraction, deidentification, and secure submission to a central data coordinating center. The data provided may be used for benchmarking, clinical quality improvement, and comparative effectiveness research.

Note

The information or content and conclusions are those of the authors and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government.


Supplementary Material