The Health Improvement Network
Encyclopedia
The Health Improvement Network (THIN) is a large database
of anonymised medical record
s collected at GP surgeries around the UK. The THIN database is similar in structure and content to the larger General Practice Research Database
(GPRD), which is managed by the United Kingdom Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA
). Between 1994 and 2002, EPIC (UK) held a non-exclusive licence to use GPRD for public health benefitting research, on a not for profit basis. On the expiry of that licence, THIN was developed by EPIC as an alternative to their license to use the GPRD, and a substantial number of primary care practitioners now contribute data to both resources. Unlike GPRD, THIN has no restrictions limiting it to not-for-profit activities in the public benefit.
Data collection commenced in January 2003, using information extracted from Vision, a widely used general practice management software package developed by In Practice Systems. The database is regularly updated and currently contains data on over 6.9 million individuals living in the United Kingdom
.
THIN data are subject to a number of quality control standards to ensure consistent recording of important clinical outcomes and indicators including:-
Clinical data in THIN are catalogued using Read Codes
, a comprehensive and searchable classification scheme for medical conditions, symptoms and important background information. This system is complemented by a set of Additional Health Data (AHD) codes which provide a standardised
system for the recording of a wide variety of clinical measurements.
THIN is an important resource in the field of epidemiology
, providing an inexpensive means to study the causes of disease and effectiveness of interventions
in a large, representative population.
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
of anonymised medical record
Medical record
The terms medical record, health record, and medical chart are used somewhat interchangeably to describe the systematic documentation of a single patient's medical history and care across time within one particular health care provider's jurisdiction....
s collected at GP surgeries around the UK. The THIN database is similar in structure and content to the larger General Practice Research Database
General Practice Research Database
The General Practice Research Database is a large database of anonymised medical records from GP practices around the UK. The database is considered by many to be the 'gold standard' of longitudinal anonymised patient databases from primary care. It has been used in over 600 clinical reviews and...
(GPRD), which is managed by the United Kingdom Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA
MHRA
MHRA is an initialism that can stand for:*Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association*Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency*Michigan Hot Rod Association*Modern Humanities Research Association** MHRA Style Guide...
). Between 1994 and 2002, EPIC (UK) held a non-exclusive licence to use GPRD for public health benefitting research, on a not for profit basis. On the expiry of that licence, THIN was developed by EPIC as an alternative to their license to use the GPRD, and a substantial number of primary care practitioners now contribute data to both resources. Unlike GPRD, THIN has no restrictions limiting it to not-for-profit activities in the public benefit.
Data collection commenced in January 2003, using information extracted from Vision, a widely used general practice management software package developed by In Practice Systems. The database is regularly updated and currently contains data on over 6.9 million individuals living in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
THIN data are subject to a number of quality control standards to ensure consistent recording of important clinical outcomes and indicators including:-
- AsthmaAsthmaAsthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...
- Coronary heart diseaseCoronary heart diseaseCoronary artery disease is the end result of the accumulation of atheromatous plaques within the walls of the coronary arteries that supply the myocardium with oxygen and nutrients. It is sometimes also called coronary heart disease...
- Diabetes mellitusDiabetes mellitusDiabetes mellitus, often simply referred to as diabetes, is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood sugar, either because the body does not produce enough insulin, or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced...
- EpilepsyEpilepsyEpilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
- MenopauseMenopauseMenopause is a term used to describe the permanent cessation of the primary functions of the human ovaries: the ripening and release of ova and the release of hormones that cause both the creation of the uterine lining and the subsequent shedding of the uterine lining...
- HypertensionHypertensionHypertension or high blood pressure is a cardiac chronic medical condition in which the systemic arterial blood pressure is elevated. What that means is that the heart is having to work harder than it should to pump the blood around the body. Blood pressure involves two measurements, systolic and...
- HypothyroidismHypothyroidismHypothyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid gland does not make enough thyroid hormone.Iodine deficiency is the most common cause of hypothyroidism worldwide but it can be caused by other causes such as several conditions of the thyroid gland or, less commonly, the pituitary gland or...
- Leg ulcers
- Heart failureCongestive heart failureHeart failure often called congestive heart failure is generally defined as the inability of the heart to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the needs of the body. Heart failure can cause a number of symptoms including shortness of breath, leg swelling, and exercise intolerance. The condition...
- WarfarinWarfarinWarfarin is an anticoagulant. It is most likely to be the drug popularly referred to as a "blood thinner," yet this is a misnomer, since it does not affect the thickness or viscosity of blood...
use - Lithium use
- Use of hormonal contraceptionHormonal contraceptionHormonal contraception refers to birth control methods that act on the endocrine system. Almost all methods are composed of steroid hormones, although in India one selective estrogen receptor modulator is marketed as a contraceptive. The original hormonal method—the combined oral contraceptive...
- Pernicious anaemiaPernicious anemiaPernicious anemia is one of many types of the larger family of megaloblastic anemias...
- Rheumatoid arthritisRheumatoid arthritisRheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, systemic inflammatory disorder that may affect many tissues and organs, but principally attacks synovial joints. The process produces an inflammatory response of the synovium secondary to hyperplasia of synovial cells, excess synovial fluid, and the development...
- Secondary stroke prevention
- Lower back painLow back painLow back pain or lumbago is a common musculoskeletal disorder affecting 80% of people at some point in their lives. In the United States it is the most common cause of job-related disability, a leading contributor to missed work, and the second most common neurological ailment — only headache is...
- Mental healthMental healthMental health describes either a level of cognitive or emotional well-being or an absence of a mental disorder. From perspectives of the discipline of positive psychology or holism mental health may include an individual's ability to enjoy life and procure a balance between life activities and...
- SmokingTobacco smokingTobacco smoking is the practice where tobacco is burned and the resulting smoke is inhaled. The practice may have begun as early as 5000–3000 BCE. Tobacco was introduced to Eurasia in the late 16th century where it followed common trade routes...
status
Clinical data in THIN are catalogued using Read Codes
Read codes
Read codes are the standard clinical terminology system used in General Practice in the United Kingdom. It supports detailed clinical encoding of multiple patient phenomena including: occupation; social circumstances; ethnicity and religion; clinical signs, symptoms and observations; laboratory...
, a comprehensive and searchable classification scheme for medical conditions, symptoms and important background information. This system is complemented by a set of Additional Health Data (AHD) codes which provide a standardised
Standardization
Standardization is the process of developing and implementing technical standards.The goals of standardization can be to help with independence of single suppliers , compatibility, interoperability, safety, repeatability, or quality....
system for the recording of a wide variety of clinical measurements.
THIN is an important resource in the field of epidemiology
Epidemiology
Epidemiology is the study of health-event, health-characteristic, or health-determinant patterns in a population. It is the cornerstone method of public health research, and helps inform policy decisions and evidence-based medicine by identifying risk factors for disease and targets for preventive...
, providing an inexpensive means to study the causes of disease and effectiveness of interventions
Intervention (counseling)
An intervention is an orchestrated attempt by one, or often many, people to get someone to seek professional help with an addiction or some kind of traumatic event or crisis, or other serious problem. The term intervention is most often used when the traumatic event involves addiction to drugs...
in a large, representative population.