Data Standards
We’re working with our colleagues across the HDR UK community and with our partners to establish and implement common standards for the quality of data used in research.
The challenge facing health data science
There is a huge range of existing data schemas and formats for healthcare data.
As a result, most research data is not collected and stored according to any published standard, but often with extremely limited or absent metadata.
Our response
Factors regarding data formatting make access to, and interoperability of, both clinical and research datasets either impossible or extremely difficult and time-consuming, requiring individual data mapping and curation. Therefore the establishment of common standards for healthcare data and metadata is a fundamental requirement for achieving our mission.
As the national institute for health data science, we have an important role in leading the development of best practice and in encouraging behaviours to improve the usefulness of data.
Our principles for data standards are applicable to all areas of HDR UK, including our research sites, UK Health Data Research Alliance, the Health Data Research Hubs, and the Gateway.
View our latest Green Paper on Data Standards
Complete our Data Standards feedback survey
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