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. 2022 Sep 21:43:1605025.
doi: 10.3389/phrs.2022.1605025. eCollection 2022.

Nation-Wide Routinely Collected Health Datasets in China: A Scoping Review

Yishu Liu  1 , Shaoming Xiao  2 , Xuejun Yin  1 , Pei Gao  3 , Jing Wu  4 , Shangzhi Xiong  1 , Carinna Hockham  5 , Thomas Hone  6 , Jason H Y Wu  1 , Sallie Anne Pearson  7 , Bruce Neal  1   6 , Maoyi Tian  1   8
Affiliations

Nation-Wide Routinely Collected Health Datasets in China: A Scoping Review

Yishu Liu et al. Public Health Rev. .

Abstract

Objectives: The potential for using routinely collected data for medical research in China remains unclear. We sought to conduct a scoping review to systematically characterise nation-wide routinely collected datasets in China that may be of value for clinical research. Methods: We searched public databases and the websites of government agencies, and non-government organizations. We included nation-wide routinely collected databases related to communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases, injuries, and maternal and child health. Database characteristics, including disease area, data custodianship, data volume, frequency of update and accessibility were extracted and summarised. Results: There were 70 databases identified, of which 46 related to communicable diseases, 20 to non-communicable diseases, 1 to injury and 3 to maternal and child health. The data volume varied from below 1000 to over 100,000 records. Over half (64%) of the databases were accessible for medical research mostly comprising communicable diseases. Conclusion: There are large quantities of routinely collected data in China. Challenges to using such data in medical research remain with various accessibility. The potential of routinely collected data may also be applicable to other low- and middle-income countries.

Keywords: China; accessibility; record linkage; routinely collected health data; scoping review.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Flow chart showing database search and study selection process (scoping review, China, 1946–2020) *Non-relevant records included databases that did not contain information about healthcare, health outcomes, treatments or health expenditures or databases not related to communicable diseases, NCDs, injuries or maternal and child health.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Time trend of routinely collected data development (scoping review, China, 1946–2020) Numbers of routinely collected data related to communicable and non-communicable diseases, injuries and maternal and child health were accumulated since <1995 until 2020.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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