Topic Discussion 2: Data Standards

[Saranath]

Can you give me 1 example about the benefit of having data standards for clinical research?

[Auswin Rojanasumapong]

An example of the benefit of having data standards for clinical research is able to merge results between studies. I have experience doing research in a similar field twice and the data can be merged to analyze with more subjects. Luckily, I was a data manager for both projects and I started setting databases on my own. If I did not manage one of the two projects, it would be harder to merge the dataset since I do not have knowledge about data standards and it would take time to correct the formats and variable names.

[Pongsakorn Sadakorn]

Thank you for sharing, formats and structure are crucial in terms of making data standards. if the data use a different format or structure, it would take time to consolidate the data.

[Sittidech Surasri]

Thank you for sharing your experience and good for your to have a chance to do this. I am curious to know that have you use or follow any standard (like CDISC) planning, implement and analysis the study? Thank you.

[Paravee Own-eium]

Having data standards for clinical research will reduce the chances of having errors and missing values. It will ensure that the data have high quality and are appropriate for analysis.

[Sila Klanklaeo]

The benefit of having data standards for clinical research is supported data sharing and review.

[Saravalee Suphakarn]

The data standard provide understanding of the data to other staff and researchers who are interested in the data. The data standard play a role as international language to communicate people around the world. If the dataset hasn’t standard, just only editor or designer can understand the meaning of variables name/value of variable/date pattern/units that used in the dataset. Other study staff who might have responsibility to use the dataset such as statistician difficult to understand it and can’t take advantage as well as possible. Other researchers also lack inconvenient to understand and apply the dataset.

[Paravee Own-eium]

Thanks for sharing your answer. It is a good point, and you explained it so well! I agree that it is crucial to make the dataset understandable for everyone. There was this one time when I received a data table and couldn’t understand the column names because they were all abbreviations. Turned out there was another file that should be sent together. It was a table that explains what the abbreviations mean and what are there measuring units. So it is very important to make everyone understand the data the same way.

[Pongsakorn Sadakorn]

Having a data standard gives many benefits include:
– Interoperability: the standard data can be shared and analyzed between organizations.
– Drive the strategy: without the same data standard, the appropriate strategy will not practical for disease control.
– Research purpose: the standard data will drive useful research in the country.

[Auswin Rojanasumapong]

I agree with you that having data standard will drive more research, and there will be more collaboration between institution to do research and share data.

[Wachirawit Supasa]

In my opinion, using the standard for the clinical study will provide interoperability between multiple study sites around the world including the same dataset, unit, procedure, and reports. All of which, provides the researcher with a better tool to conduct a study and improve quality of the results.

[Saranath]

Thanks all for the fruitful discussion.

[Sittidech Surasri]

There are many benefits of having data standards for clinical research. For my understanding, the simple word that I could say is that it is helped and provided the guideline/ rule/ structure for who would like to do the clinical research to understand the same picture. The examples of having a standard are:
• They enable transparency and understanding: use of standards promotes common, clear meanings for data that is often reused
• They enable access: the same well understood terms, codes, and data structures can be used for data retrieval
• They enable future integration of clinical studies
• Reduce costs
(some of example are the same as other student have mentioned).

[Navinee Kruahong]

I never thought about the cost before, thank you for your thoughtful!

[Naphat]

For me, I think having a data standard for clinical research is good for helping communicated within and out organization. Easy and efficient exchange of data for clinical research or use of data in another medical research project in the future. In order to have a good standard of data for clinical research, it requires brainstorming in each organization in order to have better communication and understanding or interoperability with each other in the organization, which may adhere to international standards and be adapted for each organization.

[Khaing Zin Zin Htwe]

I agree that organizations should communicate with each other regarding international data standards.

[Navinee Kruahong]

Data standards for clinical research are necessary for the sharing, portability, and reusability of data. Moreover, it ensure that the data that are going to be analyzed will provide the accurate answers for research questions by reducing error from data management process.

[Khaing Zin Zin Htwe]

Benefits of having data standards are enormous, and to state one, I would say ease of data sharing. Data sharing, consequently can lead to better healthcare through evidence based medicine. It is obvious that clinical research results are more reliable when there are more data collected across different studies.

[Rawinan Soma]

Data standard seems like a common language for worldwide communication between researcher and research study. If everyone speaks the same language, all research data should combine seamlessly. It provides more information, save time to recruit new subjects, and also prevent duplication studies.

[Kamonporn Suwanthaweemeesuk]

Standardized data is more meaningful, more comparable, and easier to exchange and store

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