What are the key patient needs addressed by retrospective chart review?
Retrospective chart review (RCR), also known as medical record review is a widely applicable research analysis, methodology, in the healthcare system. The research is centered on patient data to answer one or more research questions. The research includes multiple patient data in numerous formats coming from various physicians. There is no challenge in the accessibility and availability of healthcare and administrative data in the US, however, the level of data specificity to address chart review research questions is inadequate, Krista Payne, the Principal Scientific Consultant and Executive Director of Value Demonstration, within the Safety, Epidemiology, Registries and Risk Management group at the University of British Columbia (UBC), and Dara Stein, MSc, Senior Research Associate, Value Demonstration, Safety, Epidemiology, Registries, and Risk Management, said, in one of their collaborative research on the use of retrospective chart review studies as a way of capturing real-world patient-level clinical, healthcare and safety data.¹ The key patient needs addressed by retrospective chart review are: Understand the patient characteristics including demographics, medical history, and diagnosis. Understand the pattern of care including details of provider, procedures, and type of doctor visits. Understand the pattern of medications and drug utilization prescribed and used. Analysis of clinical outcomes vs. patient-reported symptoms. Track unmet clinical needs and quantify healthcare resources. Wrapping up As chart review is an essential evidence requirement of healthcare payers and regulators, artificial intelligence (AI) solutions can aid in the development of tailored patient-level repositories of patient data that are likely to become more common.
