Life sciences and healthcare stakeholders have a treasure trove of data that can be used to accelerate answering their research questions, but they face many challenges in leveraging this data to drive new value.

Finding the most appropriate data sources is a time-consuming process, and it is difficult to accurately assess which data asset will fit their project requirements. To make the best use of these resources, decision makers need to be able to flexibly search, sort and filter their options, and to make side-by-side custom comparisons to see which asset or combination of assets will best meet their needs.

The experts at IQVIA have been working on this challenge for years

In the early days of the industry, many of our teams were still building massive Excel spreadsheets to capture and analyze metadata, then creating detailed PowerPoint presentations to share their insights with stakeholders. It was a time-consuming process that led to inconsistent results. So, we decided to build a better, faster, and more accessible solution that could address the chronic problems we saw emerging in the data sourcing environment.

4 data identification problems solved

When we began this journey to build a better – more agile – data resource, we set four key goals:

1. Create a healthcare data resource that can be easily searched, allowing comparisons to help companies make better data acquisition decisions – rather than just building a “yellow pages” of data assets.
2. Build search capabilities to quickly qualify assets at a metadata level using qualified data sources from multiple global sources.
3. Ensure information is harmonized and kept up to date.
4. Create a resource that is so intuitive anyone with a research question can discover new data assets.

With these four parameters as a guide, our team spent two years building an accessible, reliable, and constantly updated data resource, called IQVIA Health Data Catalog. The catalog offers a single searchable global source of data with tools that allow users to rapidly identify the most relevant assets from the largest agnostic Real World Data Catalog in the world. This resource includes 2000+ data assets, with 200+ variables that are centralized and harmonized to create a single source of truth for users from resources across the globe.

It is the latest evolution of IQVIA’s offering that promises to change the way professionals use healthcare data to support every step in their decision-making processes.

More than a database

Built-in search capabilities allow users to quickly qualify assets based on content, modes of access, and usage restrictions, and includes key metrics and cited relevant publications. Users can search the catalog using a wide variety of parameters including areas of interest, patient demographics, disease types, diagnosis, treatment information, etc. They can also choose the type of data they want to search (e.g. electronic medical records, registries, prescription data), along with time frames for data collection and specific country of origin. And they can combine multiple variables and data types in a single search to narrow their results.

The combination of robust data and precise search and comparison tools makes it easy to identify the right health data sources for any research project, and to filter results based on the exact criteria of the users.

These searches deliver instant results that can be shared with stakeholders in multiple export formats that easily fit into your existing workflow (.xlsx, .csv, .json, …).

Confidence of viewing the most up-to-date information

The catalog is constantly updated and cleaned on the basis of an orchestrated federated methodology spreading the burden of update across data custodians. It gives users confidence that they are viewing the most up-to-date information that is uniquely maintained, governed, and orchestrated centrally in collaboration with asset owners. That transparency provides users reassurance they are adhering to all data privacy rules, e.g. Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation, when reviewing results.

More questions answered

This tool doesn’t just make easier to select data. It helps companies understand what data is available to support their research efforts, and ensures they invest in only the resources that will help them achieve their project goals.

For example, a global drug developer recently used the catalog to assess which data sources could support a multi-country study on the prevalence and disease progression of cytomegalovirus across different age groups in preparation for a new product launch.

They used the catalog to identify which data sources met the essential criteria – women and children in targeted age groups using transactional data from Australia, Brazil, Germany, and the UK. The search parameters (country, gender, age, and transactional delivery format) quickly narrowed the resources from more than 2000 potential assets to 5 data sets that would help them answer their questions. It allowed them to quickly determine which assets to invest in to support their research.

If they had tried to conduct such a study using conventional methods, it would have taken weeks to complete and likely resulted in the acquisition of multiple data sets that didn’t effectively meet their needs.

This is one of many examples of how this catalog can transform the research process, giving decision makers the power to rapidly identify the best resources and streamline research. In an industry where data powers decisions, such agile access to information has the potential to transform the way we work.

To learn more about IQVIA Health Data Catalog, check out our recent webinar, or contact an expert.