Discovering Disease Associations by Integrating Electronic Clinical Data and Medical Literature
2011

Discovering Disease Associations Using Electronic Health Records

Sample size: 768903 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Antony B. Holmes, Alexander Hawson, Feng Liu, Carol Friedman, Hossein Khiabanian, Raul Rabadan, Andrey Rzhetsky

Primary Institution: Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons

Hypothesis

Can integrating electronic clinical data with medical literature help identify disease associations?

Conclusion

The study successfully identified significant associations between Kawasaki disease and autistic disorder, among other findings.

Supporting Evidence

  • ADAMS identified a statistically significant association between Kawasaki disease and autistic disorder.
  • The study utilized a large dataset from electronic health records to find disease associations.
  • Integration of multiple data sources improved the identification of rare disease co-morbidities.

Takeaway

The researchers used a computer program to look at patient records and medical articles to find connections between rare diseases and other health issues.

Methodology

The study used an application called ADAMS to analyze electronic health records and compare them with data from PubMed and Wikipedia.

Potential Biases

Data entry inconsistencies and the specific demographics of the NYPH patient population may affect the results.

Limitations

The study is limited by biases in the electronic health records and the specific patient population at NYPH.

Participant Demographics

Patients from New York-Presbyterian Hospital, primarily representing the population of New York City.

Statistical Information

P-Value

0.001

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1371/journal.pone.0021132

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