title: Core Standards of the EUBIROD Project. Defining a European Diabetes Data Dictionary for Clinical Audit and Healthcare Delivery.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A set of core diabetes indicators were identified in a clinical review of current evidence for the EUBIROD project. In order to allow accurate comparisons of diabetes indicators, a standardised currency for data storage and aggregation was required. We aimed to define a robust European data dictionary with appropriate clinical definitions that can be used to analyse diabetes outcomes and provide the foundation for data collection from existing electronic health records for diabetes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Existing clinical datasets used by 15 partner institutions across Europe were collated and common data items analysed for consistency in terms of recording, data definition and units of measurement. Where necessary, data mappings and algorithms were specified in order to allow partners to meet the standard definitions. A series of descriptive elements were created to document metadata for each data item, including recording, consistency, completeness and quality.
  
  
  RESULTS
  While datasets varied in terms of consistency, it was possible to create a common standard that could be used by all. The minimum dataset defined 53 data items that were classified according to their feasibility and validity. Mappings and standardised definitions were used to create an electronic directory for diabetes care, providing the foundation for the EUBIROD data analysis repository, also used to implement the diabetes registry and model of care for Cyprus.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The development of data dictionaries and standards can be used to improve the quality and comparability of health information. A data dictionary has been developed to be compatible with other existing data sources for diabetes, within and beyond Europe.
authors.affiliation: Dr Scott G. Cunningham, Clinical Technology Centre, Level 7, Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, DD1 9SY, UK, E-mail: scott.cunningham@nhs.net.
authors.forename: S G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Cunningham
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Carinci
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brillante
authors.forename: G P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Leese
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: McAlpine
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Azzopardi
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Beck
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bratina
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bocquet
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Doggen
authors.forename: P K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Jarosz-Chobot
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jecht
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Lindblad
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Moulton
authors.forename: Ž
authors.initials: Ž
authors.lastname: Metelko
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nagy
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Olympios
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pruna
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Skeie
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Storms
authors.forename: C T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Di Iorio
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Massi Benedetti
mesh_terms: D054869:Clinical Audit / Q000592:standards*; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004014:Dictionaries as Topic; D005060:Europe; D006801:Humans; D012015:Reference Standards; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
keywords: Data dictionary; common dataset; diabetes; interoperability; standardised definitions