Sunday, September 19, 2010

i2b2 for EPIC users

Courtesy of Keith Marsolo, here is some very useful guidance.

We've posted some documentation that describes our work with the Epic Clarity database. It can be found at the following location:

The first document: "Moving Data from Epic to I2B2.docx" describes, well, our approach to moving data from Epic to i2b2. It's not complete, but it provides an overview of how we load demographics, diagnoses, and medications. There's some information on how we create metadata XML for each content type. This is similar to the upcoming "modifier" functionality in version 1.6. Until we release our code, it's more or less CCHMC-specific, but the content would be applicable to either approach.

The other document "epic_dw_master_tables.pdf" details some of the steps used to create our "Master" Epic datamart that we provide to users for reporting and other purposes. Not all of the tables are included, but we've provided a few of the more frequently used ones. The scripts provide an overview of what columns/tables to use to look for certain content.

Words of "wisdom":
1. The tables/columns in Epic may have misleading names. Always check the Epic UserWeb/Clarity data dictionaries to determine the true purpose of the field.
2. Never assume that the Epic documentation is accurate and/or complete. Each institutions Epic implementation is different, and data may be in unique locations, particularly if that data is fed by an interface. To verify the data you are working with is correct (i.e. what you think it means), I would encourage you to work with your Clarity Reporting Team or end users to ensure that the data in the database matches what appears on the screen.