Journal of Education and Health Promotion

A comparative study on iMed© and European database for multiple sclerosis to propose a common language of multiple sclerosis data elements

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

. Sima Ajami
. Golchehreh Ahmadi
. Sakineh Saghaeiannejad‑Isfahani 1
. Masoud Etemadifar 2

1 Department of Health Information Technology and Management, Social Determinant of Health Research Center

2 Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Isfahan Research Committee on Multiple Sclerosis, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

Abstract
Context: Establishing and developing minimum data set (MDS), controlled vocabularies,
taxonomies and classification systems are requirements of health information system in every
society. Aims: The aim of this study was to propose an integrated multiple sclerosis (MS) data
set by comparing European database for multiple sclerosis (EDMUS Coordinating Center Lyon,
France) and iMed© software’s (iMed, Merck Serono SA - Geneva). EDMUS is being developed at
the EDMUS coordinating centers in Lyon, France and iMed© is owned and distributed by Merck
Serono in Geneva, Switzerland. Settings and Designs: Retrieval of data of MDS performed
through scholars responsible in related agencies and clinics. Materials and Methods: This
research was an applied. The study was comparative-exploratory. In this study, data elements
in iMed© and EDMUS software’s were compared. Data collecting tool was data raw form.
Statistical Analysis Used: Results analyzing was carried out in a descriptive-comparative
method. MS data elements were proposed in three general categories: administrative; clinical;
and socio-economic. In this study, a MS data set was suggested by studying data elements of
EDMUS and iMed© softwares. Results: The MS data set includes administrative, clinical and
socio-economic data elements that collect information of MS patients during the treatment
course. iMed©, EDMUS and other available databases are suitable patterns for determining
and recognizing MS key data elements. Conclusion: Developing MS data set in this study
and studying other available MS information systems result in establishing standardized MS
data set. By establishing this data set, it will be possible to present MS MDS internationally.
MS MDS is the main base of establishing MS information systems at different levels.

Keywords

Data element
data set
database
information system
minimum data set
multiple sclerosis
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Journal of Education and Health Promotion
Volume 4, Issue 5
Autumn 2014
Pages 1-9

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