HepBase: national hep B database
Date Added: 14/10/11
HepBase, a real time clinical and research tool to support patient care, has been developed in conjunction with Sciensus and supported by a grant from Gilead Sciences.
It is the aim of the HepBase Steering Group to allow the database to serve as a national representative hepatitis B information network. The Steering Group includes Professor Geoff Dusheiko, Professor Mark Thursz, Dr Matthew Cramp, Louise Campbell, Janet Catt and Valerie Ross.
The database will facilitate the collection of anonymised data to catalogue disease prevalence, virological status, disease burden, natural history, treatment outcomes and technology appraisals for hepatitis B in the UK.
Existing PAS/Cerner patient administration systems from different hospitals will be brought into the new development to ensure complete and validated integration with HepBase. A pilot is currently being run at the Royal Free Hospital.
Additional core centres will be later added. A data/project manager is being recruited to complete this phase.
The recorded data will allow the database to be interrogated by individual clinics for the provision of data for allied research studies, including those in health economics, epidemiology, basic molecular virology and immunology. The accumulated data will also assist in the acquisition of research funding to maintain the database in the longer term, and for experimental protocols.
Professor Dusheiko comments, “The hepB database meets the need for a powerful hepatitis B database that can be integrated with patient administration systems to serve as a formidible real-time clinical, auditing and governance tool, as well as research database. We have some work to do but intend to make HepBase a “must have app” for hepatitis B services nationwide.”
The Steering Group will facilitate the development and debate ideas, providing a conducive environment to encourage participation and research output. It is their vision that the data collected will assist in formulating government policy and national guidelines, thus emulating the success of the current national HIV database.
The same high level of confidentiality as associated with the HIV database will be applicable to HepBase. All research studies will require appropriate local or national ethical committee approval.
The Website development has been fully funded by Gilead Sciences Ltd as a service to medicine. Gilead do not have access to individual or centre level patient data and only have visibility of the anonymised aggregated dataset as agreed by the steering committee.
Sciensus will be organising webinars in conjunction with this and they are scheduled for Tuesday 18th October and Tuesday 13th December, both running from 17:30-18:30.
For more information please contact:
Dominic Morgan, Key Account Manager
Email: Dominic.morgan@sciensus.com
Phone: 01273 648580
Mobile: 07914 402754
Web: www.sciensus.com
For the Hepbase statement please click below for further information.