Observational studyBMJ open2019
Improving data sharing between acute hospitals in England: an overview of health record system distribution and retrospective observational analysis of inter-hospital transitions of care.
Observational study in BMJ open, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 40 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
40 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Video Recording Patients for Direct Care Purposes: Systematic Review and Narrative Synthesis of International Empirical Studies and UK Professional Guidance.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Pooled it
- The Impact of Electronic Health Record Interoperability on Safety and Quality of Care in High-Income Countries: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Pooled it
- Artificial intelligence for mechanical ventilation: systematic review of design, reporting standards, and bias.British journal of anaesthesia · 2022Pooled it
- Extent of Digital Health Fragmentation and Potential Implications for Antimicrobial Prescribing: Rapid Evidence Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Review
- A platform for generating clinical intelligence from routine health data in hospitals: PICTURE.Future healthcare journal · 2026Article
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- Article
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- Identifying and Optimizing Factors Influencing the Implementation of a Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources Accelerator: Qualitative Study Using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research-Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change Approach.JMIR medical informatics · 2025Article
- Impact of Paper Consumption in Radiology Departments on Carbon Footprint and Climate Change: A Retrospective Analysis and Future Projections.The Indian journal of radiology & imaging · 2025Article
- Exploring the Italian Population's attitudes toward health data sharing for healthcare purpose and scientific research: a cross-sectional study.Journal of public health (Oxford, England) · 2025Article
- Patient and caregiver perceptions of electronic health records interoperability in the NHS and its impact on care quality: a focus group study.BMC medical informatics and decision making · 2024Article
- Secondary uses of electronic prescribing and pharmacy data in UK hospital care: a national survey.BMJ open quality · 2024Article
- Outpatient care of adults with congenital heart disease in the UK: a qualitative appraisal of the clinician perspective.Open heart · 2024Article
- Recent Advances and Future Directions in Syncope Management: A Comprehensive Narrative Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Review
- A Call to Reconsider a Nationwide Electronic Health Record System: Correcting the Failures of the National Program for IT.JMIR medical informatics · 2023Article
- Proof-of-concept solution to create an interoperable timeline of healthcare data.BMJ health & care informatics · 2023Article
- The impact of atypical intrahospital transfers on patient outcomes: a mixed methods study.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Blockchain Revolutionizing in Emergency Medicine: A Scoping Review of Patient Journey through the ED.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesTo determine the frequency of use and spatial distribution of health record systems in the English National Health Service (NHS). To quantify transitions of care between acute hospital trusts and health record systems to guide improvements to data sharing and interoperability.
designRetrospective observational study using Hospital Episode Statistics.
settingAcute hospital trusts in the NHS in England.
participantsAll adult patients resident in England that had one or more inpatient, outpatient or accident and emergency encounters at acute NHS hospital trusts between April 2017 and April 2018. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Frequency of use and spatial distribution of health record systems. Frequency and spatial distribution of transitions of care between hospital trusts and health record systems.
results21 286 873 patients were involved in 121 351 837 encounters at 152 included trusts. 117 (77.0%) hospital trusts were using electronic health records (EHR). There was limited regional alignment of EHR systems. On 11 017 767 (9.1%) occasions, patients attended a hospital using a different health record system to their previous hospital attendance. 15 736 863 (73.9%) patients had two or more encounters with the included trusts and 3 931 255 (25.0%) of those attended two or more trusts. Over half (53.6%) of these patients had encounters shared between just 20 pairs of hospitals. Only two of these pairs of trusts used the same EHR system.
conclusionsEach year, millions of patients in England attend two or more different hospital trusts. Most of the pairs of trusts that commonly share patients do not use the same record systems. This research highlights significant barriers to inter-hospital data sharing and interoperability. Findings from this study can be used to improve electronic health record system coordination and develop targeted approaches to improve interoperability. The methods used in this study could be used in other healthcare systems that face the same interoperability challenges.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.