title: Enabling comparative effectiveness research with informatics: show me the data!
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Both outcomes researchers and informaticians are concerned with information and data. As such, some of the central challenges to conducting successful comparative effectiveness research can be addressed with informatics solutions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Specific informatics solutions which address how data in comparative effectiveness research are enriched, stored, shared, and analyzed are reviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Imaging data can be made more quantitative, uniform, and structured for researchers through the use of lexicons and structured reporting. Secure and scalable storage of research data is enabled through data warehouses and cloud services. There are a number of national efforts to help researchers share research data and analysis tools.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a diverse arsenal of informatics tools designed to meet the needs of comparative effective researchers.
authors.affiliation: Sheikh Zayed Institute of Pediatric Surgical Innovation, Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC 20010, USA. nsafdar@cnmc.org
authors.forename: Nabile M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Safdar
authors.forename: Eliot
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Siegel
authors.forename: Bradley J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Erickson
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nagy
mesh_terms: D057186:Comparative Effectiveness Research; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination; D008490:Medical Informatics; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D011871:Radiology; D012107:Research Design; D012955:Societies, Medical; D014481:United States