Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics (OHDSI, pronounced “Odyssey”) is a collaborative, open-science effort that aims to bring out the value of health data through large-scale analytics. Its primary focus is on observational health research, including the study of disease natural history, healthcare delivery, and the effects of healthcare interventions. Here are key aspects of OHDSI:
- Purpose and Goals: OHDSI’s mission is to improve health by empowering a community to collaboratively generate the evidence that promotes better health decisions and better care. It aims to create and apply open-source data analytics to a broad network of health databases.
- Community-Driven Approach: OHDSI involves an international network of researchers, data scientists, clinicians, and industry professionals who collaborate to address a variety of healthcare challenges. It is an inclusive community that values diverse perspectives and expertise.
- Standardized Data Model: OHDSI uses the Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership (OMOP) Common Data Model (CDM), which standardizes the format and content of observational data. This allows for the integration of data from various sources, making it easier to conduct large-scale, cross-database studies.
- Tools and Software: The initiative develops a range of open-source tools to support the analysis of health data. These tools, such as ATLAS and ACHILLES, help in data visualization, cohort definition, population-level estimation, patient-level prediction, and more.
- Research and Studies: OHDSI facilitates a wide range of observational research, including drug safety and effectiveness, healthcare quality, and disease burden. It enables large-scale, multi-database analyses that can provide more generalizable and robust evidence.
- Education and Training: OHDSI offers educational resources and training programs to help community members learn about the use and application of its tools and methods. This includes tutorials, workshops, and online courses.
- Collaborative Research Network: By creating a vast network of healthcare databases from around the world, OHDSI fosters a collaborative research environment. This network supports a broad range of observational studies that can improve healthcare decision-making.
- Transparency and Reproducibility: Emphasizing open science principles, OHDSI promotes transparency in research methods and results, aiming to enhance the reproducibility of scientific studies.
OHDSI plays a significant role in transforming how observational health data are used in research. By leveraging the power of collaborative, open-science, and standardized approaches, it enhances the ability to generate reliable, evidence-based insights in healthcare.