Quality and Completeness of Myocardial Infarction Recording in Clinical Practice Research Datalink Aurum

Incomplete capture of apremilast in Clinical Practice Research Datalink Aurum: An example of exposure misclassification of specialty treatments in United Kingdom general practice databases

PURPOSE

Nearly all apremilast users captured in Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) Aurum have only one prescription, which is inconsistent with its prescribing pattern. The goal of this study was to assess capture of apremilast prescriptions in CPRD Aurum by comparison to CPRD GOLD and general practitioner (GP) questionnaires.

METHODS

We compared the number of apremilast prescriptions for patients in Aurum to (1) those in GOLD and (2) those reported by the GPs via questionnaire responses.

RESULTS

There were 441 Aurum patients with an apremilast prescription (424 [96%] in England) and 341 GOLD patients (11 [3%]) in England). In Aurum 91% of all patients (and 96% of English patients) had only one apremilast prescription while in GOLD 29% of all patients (and 82% of English patients) had only one prescription. We received questionnaire responses from GPs for 50 of 390 (13%) patients participating in Aurum who had 57 total apremilast exposed months captured in Aurum. GPs reported 8 (16%) patients with only one prescription and a median of 4 (range 1-35) apremilast prescriptions per patient, yielding 463 total months of apremilast exposure.

CONCLUSIONS

CPRD Aurum captures only one apremilast prescription for most recorded users, though questionnaire responses indicated most patients received multiple prescriptions. Researchers using any UK GP database should be aware of potential for significant exposure misclassification of apremilast and other treatments classified as specialist or shared care by local Area Prescribing Committees.

Presence of Breast Cancer Information Recorded in United Kingdom Primary Care Databases: Comparison of CPRD Aurum and CPRD GOLD (Companion Paper 1)

Purpose

To evaluate the presence of data elements related to diagnosis and treatment of malignant breast cancer in CPRD Aurum compared to those in the previously validated CPRD GOLD.

Methods

Females in CPRD Aurum or GOLD with a first-time code for malignant breast cancer, mastectomy, or ≥1 prescription for tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors (2004-2019) were selected. We compared the presence of the codes for breast cancer diagnosis, surgeries (mastectomy, lumpectomy), tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitor prescriptions, radiation, chemotherapy, and supporting clinical codes (suspected breast cancer, lump symptoms, biopsy, lumpectomy, cancer care, referral/visit to specialist, palliative care). Age standardized incidence rates of breast cancer diagnosis in CPRD Aurum and GOLD were calculated.

Results

There were 131,936 eligible patients in CPRD Aurum and 69,102 patients in GOLD. A similar proportion of patients in CPRD Aurum and GOLD had codes for breast cancer diagnosis, mastectomy, drug prescriptions, lump, biopsy, lumpectomy, chemotherapy, and cancer and palliative care coded in their electronic record during follow-up. However, suspected breast cancer, radiation, and referral/visits to specialists were coded more frequently in patients in CPRD Aurum compared to GOLD. Age-standardized incidence rates were similar for CPRD Aurum and GOLD.

Conclusion

Overall, there was consistency between data elements related to malignant breast cancer recorded in CPRD Aurum and GOLD, particularly for the most informative clinical details. These findings provide reassurance that breast cancer information recorded in CPRD Aurum is generally comparable to that recorded in the previously validated CPRD GOLD and support the use of CPRD Aurum for breast cancer research.

Correctness and Completeness of Breast Cancer Diagnoses Recorded in UK CPRD Aurum and CPRD GOLD Databases: Comparison to Hospital Episode Statistics and Cancer Registry (Companion Paper 2)

Purpose

To evaluate the new Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) Aurum database, we estimated 'correctness' (ie accuracy, validity) and 'completeness' (ie presence, missingness) of malignant breast cancer diagnoses recorded in CPRD Aurum compared to external linked data sources: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) Admitted Patient Care (APC), HES Outpatient (OP), and Cancer Registry (CR), and to the previously validated CPRD GOLD.

Methods

Linkage-eligible, female patients with incident malignant breast cancer diagnosis recorded in at least one study data source were selected. Correctness was the proportion of malignant breast cancer cases recorded in CPRD Aurum or GOLD who also had a diagnosis recorded in HES APC/OP (2004-2019) or CR (2004-2016). Completeness was estimated by identifying all malignant breast cancer diagnoses in HES APC/OP or CR and calculating the proportion with a concordant diagnosis in CPRD Aurum or GOLD.

Results

Compared to HES APC/OP, there were 85,659 and 31,452 eligible patients in CPRD Aurum and GOLD, respectively. Correctness estimates were high (CPRD Aurum 83.5%, GOLD 81.7%). Compared to CR, there were 70,190 and 29,597 eligible patients in CPRD Aurum and GOLD, respectively: correctness was 89.1% for CPRD Aurum and 88.2% for GOLD. Completeness estimates for CPRD Aurum and GOLD were high (>90%). Diagnoses were recorded in CPRD Aurum within -7 to 74 days of those in the linked sources. Reasons for discordant diagnostic coding included presence of treatment or other clinical codes only, diagnosis coded after end of follow-up, non-malignant breast cancer in linked data, and administrative codes in lieu of diagnostic codes.

Conclusion

These results indicate that correctness and completeness of malignant breast cancer diagnoses in CPRD Aurum were high and similar to CPRD GOLD. This provides confidence in use of CPRD Aurum for research purposes. Where complete case capture is important, researchers should consider linkage to HES APC or CR.

Use of the CPRD Aurum Database: Insights Gained from New Data Quality Assessments

Ongoing evaluation of any electronic health data source is critical to assess suitability for its use in medical research. In addition, familiarity with a data source's history and recording practices is important for making informed data source selection, study design choices, and interpretation of results. In this commentary, the authors discuss three studies that assessed different aspects of the quality and completeness of information contained in Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) Aurum compared to the well-established CPRD GOLD and to other linked data sources, with the aim to describe insights gained through these data quality assessments. Our findings support the view that CPRD Aurum and GOLD are both valuable tools for studies based on information recorded in primary care but should not be used without critical consideration of strengths and limitations. Further, use of linked data should be considered for some studies, after taking into account all relevant factors.

Comparison of Rheumatoid Arthritis Information Recorded in UK CPRD Aurum and CPRD GOLD Databases (Companion Paper 3)

Purpose

To report distribution of codes associated with a rheumatoid arthritis (RA) diagnosis recorded in Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) Aurum compared to the previously validated CPRD GOLD database as a critical step toward making decisions about CPRD Aurum's suitability for medical research.

Patients and Methods

We analyzed the distribution of codes for RA diagnoses, labs, and treatments in the new CPRD Aurum database, compared to the CPRD GOLD database by selecting relevant indicators of RA diagnosis, treatment, and clinical care. We included all patients in England in CPRD Aurum and CPRD GOLD with an incident diagnosis code for RA on or after 1 January 2005 and at least two years recorded data before first RA diagnosis.

Results

We found 53,083 and 18,167 patients with a new diagnosis code for RA in CPRD Aurum and CPRD GOLD, respectively. In both databases approximately 67% were female with similar mean ages at first diagnosis. There were few differences in RA-related recording patterns between the two data sources. Before first RA diagnosis, CPRD Aurum patients had more RA-specific labs and other supporting clinical codes. After diagnosis, CPRD Aurum patients had more RA diagnoses coded and more often had 10+ general RA labs than patients in CPRD GOLD. More CPRD GOLD patients had 10+ prescriptions for conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (cDMARD) compared to CPRD Aurum. Otherwise, the distribution of drugs used to treat RA was similar between databases. The standardized incidence of RA was similar between databases.

Conclusion

Overall, among patients with a diagnosis code for RA, recording of diagnoses, prescription drugs, and labs were similar between CPRD Aurum and CPRD GOLD. Slight differences were found for a few variables, but overall, we found consistency between the databases. In addition, standardized incidence of RA was similar between databases.

Musculoskeletal pain and its impact on prognosis following acute coronary syndrome or stroke: A linked electronic health record cohort study

OBJECTIVE

Musculoskeletal painful conditions are a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), but less is known about whether musculoskeletal pain also worsens prognosis from CVD. The objective was to determine whether patients with musculoskeletal pain have poorer prognosis following acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or stroke.

METHODS

The study utilised UK electronic primary care records (CPRD Aurum) with linkage to hospital and mortality records. Patients aged ≥45 years admitted to hospital with incident ACS/stroke were categorised by healthcare use for musculoskeletal pain (inflammatory conditions, osteoarthritis [OA], and regional pain) based on primary care consultations in the prior 24 months. Outcomes included mortality, length of stay, readmission and management of index condition (ACS/stroke).

RESULTS

There were 171,670 patients with incident ACS and 138,512 with stroke; 30% consulted for musculoskeletal pain prior to ACS/stroke and these patients had more comorbidity than those without musculoskeletal pain. Rates of mortality and readmission, and length of stay were higher in those with musculoskeletal pain, particularly OA and inflammatory conditions, in ACS. Readmission was also higher for patients with musculoskeletal pain in stroke. However, increased risks associated with musculoskeletal pain did not remain after adjustment for age and polypharmacy. Inflammatory conditions were associated with increased likelihood of prescriptions for dual anti-platelets (ACS only) and anti-coagulants.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with musculoskeletal pain have higher rates of poor outcome from ACS which relates to being older but also increased polypharmacy. The high rates of comorbidity including polypharmacy highlight the complexity of patients with musculoskeletal pain who have new onset ACS/stroke.

Incidence and associations of hospital delirium diagnoses in 85,979 people with severe mental illness: A data linkage study

INTRODUCTION

Delirium is an acute neuro-psychiatric disturbance precipitated by a range of physical stressors, with high morbidity and mortality. Little is known about its relationship with severe mental illness (SMI).

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study using linked data analyses of the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) and Hospital Episodes Statistics (HES) databases. We ascertained yearly hospital delirium incidence from 2000 to 2017 and used logistic regression to identify associations with delirium diagnosis in a population with SMI.

RESULTS

The cohort included 249,047 people with SMI with median follow-up time in CPRD of 6.4 years. A total of 85,979 patients were eligible for linkage to HES. Delirium incidence increased from 0.04 (95% CI 0.02-0.07) delirium associated admissions per 100 person-years in 2000 to 1.05 (95% CI 0.93-1.17) per 100 person-years in 2017, increasing most notably from 2010 onwards. Delirium was associated with older age at study entry (OR 1.05 per year, 95% CI 1.05-1.06), SMI diagnosis of bipolar affective disorder (OR 1.66, 95% CI 1.44-1.93) or other psychosis (OR 1.56, 95% CI 1.35-1.80) relative to schizophrenia, and more physical comorbidities (OR 1.08 per additional comorbidity of the Charlson Comorbidity Index, 95% CI 1.02-1.14). Patients with delirium received more antipsychotic medication during follow-up (1-2 antipsychotics OR 1.65, 95% CI 1.44-1.90; >2 antipsychotics OR 2.49, 95% CI 2.12-2.92).

CONCLUSIONS

The incidence of recorded delirium diagnoses in people with SMI has increased in recent years. Older people prescribed more antipsychotics and with more comorbidities have a higher incidence. Linked electronic health records are feasible for exploring hospital diagnoses such as delirium in SMI.

Agreement of acute serious events recorded across datasets using linked Australian general practice, hospital, emergency department and death data: implications for research and surveillance

Introduction

Understanding the level of recording of acute serious events in general practice electronic health records (EHRs) is critical for making decisions about the suitability of general practice datasets to address research questions and requirements for linking general practice EHRs with other datasets.

Objectives

To examine data source agreement of five serious acute events (myocardial infarction, stroke, venous thromboembolism (VTE), pancreatitis and suicide) recorded in general practice EHRs compared with hospital, emergency department (ED) and mortality data.

Methods

Data from 61 general practices routinely contributing data to the MedicineInsight database was linked with New South Wales administrative hospital, ED and mortality data. The study population comprised patients with at least three clinical encounters at participating general practices between 2019 and 2020 and at least one record in hospital, ED or mortality data between 2010 and 2020. Agreement was assessed between MedicineInsight diagnostic algorithms for the five events of interest and coded diagnoses in the administrative data. Dates of concordant events were compared.

Results

The study included 274,420 general practice patients with at least one record in the administrative data between 2010 and 2020. Across the five acute events, specificity and NPV were excellent (>98%) but sensitivity (13%-51%) and PPV (30%-75%) were low. Sensitivity and PPV were highest for VTE (50.9%) and acute pancreatitis (75.2%), respectively. The majority (roughly 70-80%) of true positive cases were recorded in the EHR within 30 days of administrative records.

Conclusion

Large proportions of events identified from administrative data were not detected by diagnostic algorithms applied to general practice EHRs within the specific time period. EHR data extraction and study design only partly explain the low sensitivities/PPVs. Our findings support the use of Australian general practice EHRs linked to hospital, ED and mortality data for robust research on the selected serious acute conditions.

A retrospective study of risk factors, causative micro-organisms and healthcare resources consumption associated with prosthetic joint infections (PJI) using the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) Aurum database

BACKGROUND

Prosthetic joint infection (PJI) is a serious complication after joint replacement surgery and it is associated with risk of mortality and morbidity along with high direct costs.

METHODS

The Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) data were utilized to quantify PJI incidence after hip or knee replacement up to 5 years after implant and a variety of risk factors related to patient characteristics, medical and treatment history along with characteristics of the original surgery were analyzed through Cox proportional hazard.

RESULTS

221,826 patients (individual joints 283,789) met all the inclusion and exclusion criteria of the study; during the study follow-up period (5 years), 707 and 695 PJIs were diagnosed in hip and knee, respectively. Patients undergoing joint replacement surgery during an unscheduled hospitalization had greater risk of PJI than patients whose surgery was elective; similarly, the risk of developing PJI after a secondary hip or knee replacement was about 4 times greater than after primary arthroplasty when adjusted for all other variables considered. A previous diagnosis of PJI, even in a different joint, increased the risk of a further PJI. Distribution of average LoS per each hospitalization caused by PJI exhibited a right skewed profile with median duration [IQR] duration of 16 days [8-32] and 13 days [7.25-32] for hip and knee, respectively. PJIs causative micro-organisms were dependent on the time between initial surgery and infection offset; early PJI were more likely to be multispecies than later (years after surgery); the identification of Gram- pathogens decreased with increasing post-surgery follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

This study offers a contemporary assessment of the budgetary and capacity (number and duration of hospitalizations along with the number of Accident and Emergency (A&E) visits) posed by PJIs in UK for the national healthcare system (NHS). The results to provide risk management and planning tools to health providers and policy makers in order to fully assess technologies aimed at controlling and preventing PJI. The findings add to the existing evidence-based knowledge surrounding the epidemiology and burden of PJI by quantifying patterns of PJI in patients with a relatively broad set of prevalent comorbidities.

Quality of rheumatoid arthritis recording in United Kingdom Clinical Practice Research Datalink Aurum

PURPOSE

While several studies have assessed quality and completeness of recording acute medical events in Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) Aurum, evaluation of additional chronic conditions is warranted.

METHODS

We selected patients with a first diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) coded in their CPRD Aurum record between 2005 and 2019. We assessed quality of RA diagnosis by evaluating additional information in the patient record that would corroborate the diagnosis. We report recording of diagnoses, prescriptions, labs, and referrals expected to be present based on NICE guidelines for RA management.

RESULTS

There were 53 083 patients with a first recorded RA diagnosis during the study period: 43606 (82%) patients had RA drug treatments in their record, 7596 (14%) had supporting codes without drug treatment, and 1881 (4%) patients had only a RA diagnoses recorded in their medical record with no supporting codes or RA treatments. Patients with RA diagnosis only were more likely to be first diagnosed in the earliest time period of study. Labs for diagnosing and monitoring RA were most common among patients with RA treatment. Analgesic and glucocorticoid prescriptions were common in all study patients but were highest among patients with RA treatment. Among patients with RA diagnosis only, the overwhelming majority had only one RA diagnosis recorded (76%).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that codes expected for monitoring and treatment of RA are routinely recorded in CPRD Aurum. These results support previous assessments, which found data recorded in CPRD Aurum to be of good quality for use in research.

Systematic approach to outcome assessment from coded electronic healthcare records in the DaRe2THINK NHS-embedded randomized trial. EUROPEAN HEART JOURNAL. DIGITAL HEALTH 2022;3:426-436. [PMID: 36712153 PMCID: PMC9708037 DOI: 10.1093/ehjdh/ztac046]

Aims

Improving the efficiency of clinical trials is key to their continued importance in directing evidence-based patient care. Digital innovations, in particular the use of electronic healthcare records (EHRs), allow for large-scale screening and follow up of participants. However, it is critical these developments are accompanied by robust and transparent methods that can support high-quality and high clinical value research.

Methods and results

The DaRe2THINK trial includes a series of novel processes, including nationwide pseudonymized pre screening of the primary-care EHR across England, digital enrolment, remote e-consent, and 'no-visit' follow up by linking all primary- and secondary-care health data with patient-reported outcomes. DaRe2THINK is a pragmatic, healthcare-embedded randomized trial testing whether earlier use of direct oral anticoagulants in patients with prior or current atrial fibrillation can prevent thromboembolic events and cognitive decline (www.birmingham.ac.uk/dare2think). This study outlines the systematic approach and methodology employed to define patient information and outcome events. This includes transparency on all medical code lists and phenotypes used in the trial across a variety of national data sources, including Clinical Practice Research Datalink Aurum (primary care), Hospital Episode Statistics (secondary care), and the Office for National Statistics (mortality).

Conclusion

Co-designed by a patient and public involvement team, DaRe2THINK presents an opportunity to transform the approach to randomized trials in the setting of routine healthcare, providing high-quality evidence generation in populations representative of the community at risk.

Presence of Codes for Indication for Use in Clinical Practice Research Datalink Aurum: An Assessment of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Treatments

Background

Assessments of strengths and limitations of new data sources are critical for making decisions about suitability for specific research questions. For some studies, it is necessary to capture a drug’s indication for use.

Objective

To assess the presence of indications for prescription use in Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) Aurum (January 1988–June 2021) by describing the proportion of men in CPRD Aurum who had a recorded indication for use of prescriptions for 5-alpha reductase inhibitors (5-ARI), alpha blockers (AB), or tadalafil, which have multiple indications.

Methods

From a random sample of 154 practices of CPRD Aurum data, we selected 85,597 male patients with a prescription for a 5-ARI, an AB, or tadalafil. Among these patients, we described presence of codes indicating whether the patient had benign prostatic hyperplasia, hypertension, erectile dysfunction, or alopecia using three indication definitions: narrow (specific diagnoses recorded within one year before and up to 90 days after the prescription), broad (specific diagnoses or supporting clinical codes in the time period described above), and widest (diagnoses or supporting codes recorded at any time before the prescription and up to 90 days after the prescription).

Results

Using the narrow indication definition limited to diagnoses only, 39,861 (46.6%) patients’ records contained an indication for use. The broad definitions, which additionally included supporting codes, captured indications for 62,912 (73.5%) patients and the widest definition, which additionally included supporting codes and all available data before the first prescription date, captured indications for 71,478 (83.5%) patients. Indications were present more often for prescriptions in 2005 and later (85.9%).

Conclusion

The findings of this assessment suggest that CPRD Aurum can be used for studies that require information on treatment indications for BPH and potentially for treatments of other chronic diseases managed in the primary care setting.