BMJ  2008;336:106-107 (19 January), doi:10.1136/bmj.39364.586146.80

Editorials

Maximising research opportunities of new NHS information systems

Don’t ignore the potential of health services research

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Amid all the controversy and debate around the introduction of a new national information technology programme for the English National Health Service (NHS), the needs of researchers for information have been largely ignored while—perhaps understandably—the immediate needs of clinicians, administrators, managers, and policymakers have been prioritised.

Reluctance to consider the needs of researchers may also reflect managers’ fears of a loss of control of the data and the public’s and politicians’ concerns about breaches of confidentiality. Whatever the reason, researchers and research funders are increasingly concerned that the people responsible for designing the new system lack awareness of the potential research uses of routinely collected healthcare data. This is despite at least three recent documents showing the benefits of such data to the NHS and public health,¹²³ and examples of successful relationships between health systems and researchers, such as is seen in the United States⁴ and Canada.⁵

A further attempt . . . [Full text of this article]

¹ Health Services Research Unit, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT

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