Reducing errors in medical records to improve HIV research
Statistical methods and designs for correlated outcome and covariate errors in studies of HIV/AIDS
This project fixes mistakes in electronic health records so HIV research more accurately reflects the health of people living with HIV.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R37 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Vanderbilt University Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Nashville, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11289309 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From a patient perspective, researchers are building methods to combine large but error-prone electronic health records with smaller sets of validated data to correct mistakes and reduce bias. They design efficient ways to choose which records to validate and create software to apply the corrections. The team has already used these approaches on international HIV clinic databases and is refining them to better detect conditions like liver fibrosis. The goal is that studies using routine clinic data will produce more trustworthy results about HIV outcomes and co‑existing conditions.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People living with HIV whose care is recorded in electronic health records at clinics that participate in research networks (such as IeDEA) could be indirectly involved or asked to provide validated information.
Not a fit: Patients whose care is not recorded in participating EHR systems or who are not part of linked validation efforts are unlikely to see direct benefits from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could make findings from HIV medical record studies more accurate, which may lead to better understanding of complications and improved care decisions for people with HIV.
How similar studies have performed: Related methods have been applied successfully in earlier work and the team has already used them on IeDEA HIV datasets, so this builds on tested approaches.
Where this research is happening
Nashville, United States
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center — Nashville, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Shepherd, Bryan Earl — Vanderbilt University Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Shepherd, Bryan Earl
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.