Scientists at the University of Oxford have begun to use healthcare data from the Secondary Uses Service (SUS+) in assessing the effectiveness of potential treatments for Covid-19.
NHS Digital, the technology services provider for NHS England which runs the service, said it is also planning to provide other datasets to the Randomised Evaluation of Cov-d-19 (RECOVERY) trial.
This is expected to include Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) and other sources.
SUS+ is a repository of healthcare data used for ‘secondary’ purposes such as research, planning and National Tariff reimbursement.
The work is part of the effort to support researchers undertaking clinical trials through the NHS DigitTrials Health Data Research hub, which involves a consortium including NHS Digital, the University of Oxford’s Big Data Institute, IBM and Microsoft. It is aimed at helping patients participate in clinical trials of new treatments.
Tom Denwood, executive director of data, insights and statistics at NHS Digital, said: “The data we hold at NHS Digital has a vital role in helping the NHS find new ways to effectively treat and manage patients during the coronavirus epidemic.
“In supporting this trial we are enabling the healthcare system to make data driven decisions on how best to care for people over the coming months.
“This will hopefully result in better outcomes for patients who have contracted coronavirus, as well as reducing the burden on our overstretched frontline.”
Image: W.Rebel under GNU Free Documentation Licence through Wikimedia
