Applied health informatics

Applied health informatics includes the use of big data and analytics, alongside digital platforms, to improve health and care. Ultimately, we aim to enable "learning" health and care systems.

NIHR ARC West provides national leadership on applied health informatics across the ARCs, including convening the cross-ARC Applied Health Informatics Network. The network’s workstreams are:

Observational research
Artificial intelligence
Development, evaluation and implementation of digital tools
Patient and public involvement and engagement

This work is part of NIHR’s national leadership areas and is linked to our applied data science methodological theme.

What does our work in applied health informatics cover?

At our inaugural cross-ARC meeting in 2019 we agreed that we would focus on:

applied health research using routine data, including the use of artificial intelligence
digitally delivered health and care
patient and public involvement and engagement on the use of personal data in research

Related research

NHS workers in face masks having a meeting

Identifying ‘low value’ operations that the NHS could reduce or stop

Paper:

Identifying potentially low value surgical care: A national ecological study in England

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Developing the South West Secure Data Environment (SDE)

Understanding what affected COVID-19 outcomes in care homes in Bath and North East Somerset

Why are blood tests requested in primary care and how are results managed?

Paper:

Why test study: a UK-wide audit using the Primary Care Academic CollaboraTive to explore the reasons for primary care testing

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Investigating the safety of statins using regression discontinuity analysis

Paper:

Regression discontinuity analysis for pharmacovigilance: statin example reflected trial findings showing little evidence of harm

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Better Care: Improving efficiency in hospitals by predicting demand

Paper:

Impact of pausing elective hip and knee replacement surgery during winter 2017 on subsequent service provision at a major NHS Trust: a descriptive observational study using interrupted time series

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