The Network Project among Core Clinical Research Hospitals for Real-World Evidence (Rinchu-net)
To promote the utilization of real-world medical data in Japan, since 2018, core clinical research hospitals have been developing data infrastructure and human resources. Our vision is to "contribute to the realization of optimal medical care through the construction of a sustainable clinical research infrastructure that is capable of addressing a wide range of issues, including clinical questions, as real-world evidence." Our mission is (1) to study and develop an independent ecosystem to maintain the infrastructure, and (2) to implement human resource development to support this infrastructure. Tohoku University Hospital, one of the core clinical research hospitals, is leading the sub-working group that is responsible for expanding the data area for clinical research and promoting standardization to collect various pieces of clinical data.
MID-NET Project (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA))
The MID-NET Project, launched by the MHLW and the PMDA in 2011, aims to strengthen measures for ensuring drug safety by using medical information databases. In this project, ten selected medical facilities, including Tohoku University Hospital (TUH), have developed databases and accumulated medical information in them. I am involved in this project as a person responsible for medical information systems of TUH. In 2013, another project was started to assess the validity of data in each database. Through these projects, we are working to develop the effective use of medical information.
Support Systems for Clinical Research
It is essential to accumulate medical information in an appropriate manner because the information helps improve the efficiency of clinical research. For this reason, Tohoku University Hospital has introduced two kinds of systems for clinical research. In addition, as part of our efforts to offer clinical data efficiently to physicians, we are working on system coordination as well as integration of databases of each department.
Big Data Medicine Center
The volume of medical data, including genomic data and clinical information, has been increasing rapidly, and the "Big Data" offer high potential to improve medical care. Given this situation, Tohoku University School of Medicine plans to establish "Big Data Medicine Center," aiming to develop an effective infrastructure for medical data integration/analysis and to train specialists in data science. The Big Data Medicine Center will keep on developing in cooperation with Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University Hospital, and many departments of Tohoku University.
© 2020 Department of Medical Informatics, Tohoku University School of Medicine