D5.3 – Query Formulation Workbench

This is a semantically aware software tool that supports the easy authoring of distributed searches to EHR and other clinical data sources. The query authoring based on an eligibility criteria representation of the Clinical Research Information Model (CRIM), in order to achieve the identification of research subjects from EHR data sources. The use of the TRANSFoRm terminology services, in conjunction with the Clinical Data Integration Model (CDIM) allows the capturing eligibility criteria in a computable representation, based on CDIM ontology, so the criteria can be translated into executable query statements at the individual EHR data sources. In this way the workbench achieved to identify ‘prevalent cases’ for research, where the searches report back counts of eligible subjects in the EHRs, flagging  the subjects for recruitment and consent by the local clinical care team, in full compliance with data protection legislation and best practice.

The deliverable demonstrates the overall functionality of the query formulation workbench requirements and associated UI on an example study: the eligibility needs of the diabetes use case. The UI provides mechanisms and simple visual representations of groupings of eligibility criteria, which can be easily managed by users as a series of simple interaction steps, guiding the user throughout the process.

Integration with other TRANSFoRm components, such as the security framework, has provided a successful working functionality of the query formulation tool within the TRANSFoRm distributed infrastructure. Users can work together on study and protocol design, with rules for collaborative access, driven by the predefined user requirements. Study protocols are designed using an intuitive interface where authorisation rules are used to restrict access to a user’s individual or group permissions.  Integration with the TRANSFoRm provenance service also allows for further auditing of user actions.