Please note, this course is not provided or endorsed by the UKTMN, but has been deemed relevant to trial management, and may be of interest to our members.
Using healthcare systems data in clinical trials: Data Utility Comparisons - DUCkS Workshop
Date: Thursday 22 October 2026
Time: 10:00-13:00 (UK time)
Location: 90 High Holborn, London WC1V 6LJ – In person
The use of health systems data (aka routinely-collected healthcare data, such as Hospital Episode Statistics) as trial data could transform the delivery of clinical trials, but there are key challenges to address. One of the challenges is assessing the suitability of the data to replace trial-specific data collection and its relevance, which we refer to as its utility. To have utility, we need to be assured that health systems data sufficiently captures the data traditionally reported on case report forms. We assess utility through the comparison of health systems data with trial-collected data. These formal comparison studies will provide evidence on the fitness of purpose of a dataset to answer specific questions.
In this workshop, we will be showcasing some utility comparisons, explaining their need, presenting our suggestion for how to conduct one, and giving some space for you to plan your own utility comparison.
For more details on DUCkS, please read Sydes et al. ‘Getting our ducks in a row: The need for data utility comparisons of healthcare systems data for clinical trials’ (doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2024.107514).
