A national unmet needs assessment for CTSA-affiliated electronic health record data networks: A customer discovery approach

Introduction: The expansion of electronic health record (EHR) data networks over the last two decades has significantly improved the accessibility and processes around data sharing. However, there lies a gap in meeting the needs of Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) hubs, particularly related to real-world data (RWD) and real-world evidence (RWE).

Methods: We adopted a mixed-methods approach to construct a comprehensive needs assessment that included: (1) A Landscape Context analysis to understand the competitive environment; and (2) Customer Discovery to identify stakeholders and the value proposition related to EHR data networks. Methods included surveys, interviews, and a focus group.

Results: Thirty-two CTSA institutions contributed data for analysis. Fifty-four interviews and one focus group were conducted. The synthesis of our findings pivots around five emergent themes: (1) CTSA segmentation needs vary according to resources; (2) Team science is key for success; (3) Quality of data generates trust in the network; (4) Capacity building is defined differently by researcher career stage and CTSA existing resources; and (5) Researchers' unmet needs.

Conclusions: Based on the results, EHR data networks like ENACT that would like to meet the expectations of academic research centers within the CTSA consortium need to consider filling the gaps identified by our study: foster team science, improve workforce capacity, achieve data governance trust and efficiency of operation, and aid Learning Health Systems with validating, applying, and scaling the evidence to support quality improvement and high-value care. These findings align with the NIH NCATS Strategic Plan for Data Science.