Standardizing real-world data (RWD) can improve consistency and reduce errors, but it may also change how patient populations and outcomes appear in analyses. This study, published in Pharmacoepidemiology & Drug Safety, evaluates how transforming administrative healthcare data to the Sentinel common data model affects cohort selection and descriptive findings.

Study Overview

Using HealthVerity outpatient COVID-19 data, the study compared results before and after standardization. The standardized format produced slightly smaller cohorts and lower counts for some variables, reflecting the removal of duplicates and refinements to the data. These changes highlight why understanding the effects of standardization is essential to ensuring real-world data are fit for purpose.

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