title: Implementing common data elements across studies to advance research.
abstract: Challenges arise in building the knowledge needed for evidence-based practice partially because obtaining clinical research data is expensive and complicated, and many studies have small sample sizes. Combining data from several studies may have the advantage of increasing the impact of the findings or expanding the population to which findings may be generalized. The use of common data elements will allow this combining and, in turn, create big data, which is an important approach that may accelerate knowledge development. This article discusses the philosophy of using common data elements across research studies and illustrates their use by the processes in a developmental center grant funded by the National Institutes of Health. The researchers identified a set of data elements and used them across several pilot studies. Issues that need to be considered in the adoption and implementation of common data elements across pilot studies include theoretical framework, purpose of the common measures, respondent burden, teamwork, managing large data sets, grant writing, and unintended consequences. We describe these challenges and solutions that can be implemented to manage them.
authors.affiliation: University of Nebraska Medical Center, College of Nursing, Omaha, NE. Electronic address: mzcohen@unmc.edu.
authors.forename: Marlene Z
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.affiliation: University of Nebraska Medical Center, College of Nursing, Omaha, NE.
authors.forename: Cheryl Bagley
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.affiliation: University of Nebraska Medical Center, College of Nursing, Omaha, NE.
authors.forename: Bernice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yates
authors.affiliation: University of Nebraska Medical Center, College of Nursing, Omaha, NE.
authors.forename: Lani
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zimmerman
authors.affiliation: University of Nebraska Medical Center, College of Nursing, Omaha, NE.
authors.forename: Carol H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Pullen
mesh_terms: D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000458:organization & administration*; D065709:Common Data Elements; D066264:Datasets as Topic; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010865:Pilot Projects
keywords: Clinical research; Common data elements