Development and initial validation of a data quality evaluation tool in obstetrics real-world data through HL7-FHIR interoperable Bayesian networks and expert rules

Autores da FMUP

• Ricardo João Cruz Correia

  Autor

• Pedro Pereira Rodrigues

  Autor

Participantes de fora da FMUP

• Coutinho-Almeida, Joao
• Saez, Carlos

Unidades de investigação

• Laboratório Associado RISE- Rede de Investigação em Saúde

  

  Investigador

  Fernando Carlos De Landér Schmitt

• Medicina da Comunidade, Informação e Decisão em Saúde

• RISE-Health

  

  Investigador

  Fernando Carlos De Landér Schmitt

Abstract

Background The increasing prevalence of electronic health records (EHRs) in healthcare systems globally has underscored the importance of data quality for clinical decision-making and research, particularly in obstetrics. High-quality data is vital for an accurate representation of patient populations and to avoid erroneous healthcare decisions. However, existing studies have highlighted significant challenges in EHR data quality, necessitating innovative tools and methodologies for effective data quality assessment and improvement.Objective This article addresses the critical need for data quality evaluation in obstetrics by developing a novel tool. The tool utilizes Health Level 7 (HL7) Fast Healthcare Interoperable Resources (FHIR) standards in conjunction with Bayesian Networks and expert rules, offering a novel approach to assessing data quality in real-world obstetrics data.Methods A harmonized framework focusing on completeness, plausibility, and conformance underpins our methodology. We employed Bayesian networks for advanced probabilistic modeling, integrated outlier detection methods, and a rule-based system grounded in domain-specific knowledge. The development and validation of the tool were based on obstetrics data from 9 Portuguese hospitals, spanning the years 2019-2020.Results The developed tool demonstrated strong potential for identifying data quality issues in obstetrics EHRs. Bayesian networks used in the tool showed high performance for various features with area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) between 75% and 97%. The tool's infrastructure and interoperable format as a FHIR Application Programming Interface (API) enables a possible deployment of a real-time data quality assessment in obstetrics settings. Our initial assessments show promised, even when compared with physicians' assessment of real records, the tool can reach AUROC of 88%, depending on the threshold defined.Discussion Our results also show that obstetrics clinical records are difficult to assess in terms of quality and assessments like ours could benefit from more categorical approaches of ranking between bad and good quality.Conclusion This study contributes significantly to the field of EHR data quality assessment, with a specific focus on obstetrics. The combination of HL7-FHIR interoperability, machine learning techniques, and expert knowledge presents a robust, adaptable solution to the challenges of healthcare data quality. Future research should explore tailored data quality evaluations for different healthcare contexts, as well as further validation of the tool capabilities, enhancing the tool's utility across diverse medical domains. With the widespread use of healthcare information systems, a vast amount of health data are generated, stored in electronic health records (EHRs). These data have the potential to advance medical knowledge and improve patient care, but only if it is of high quality. Data quality varies depending on its use, such as daily patient care, research, or management purposes. Poor data quality in EHRs can lead to incorrect healthcare decisions. Errors can occur at various stages, from data entry to processing and interpretation. Different approaches are needed to assess data quality based on its intended use. This article focuses on developing a tool to improve data quality in obstetrics using 3 main categories: completeness, plausibility, and conformance. Tested with data from 9 Portuguese hospitals, the tool uses methods like Bayesian networks and rule-based systems. Initial real-world testing showed promising results. However, assessing data quality remains complex and context dependent. Future research will refine the tool and expand its application. This work is a significant step towards ensuring high-quality EHR data for clinical and research purposes.

Keywords

• data quality; machine-learning; FHIR; real-world data; Bayesian networks