EPIC Database Research Company (EDRC)
UK
Category: Commercial Services
Address: 1 Canal Side Studios, 8-14 St Pancras Way, London, NW1 0QG, UK
Tel: 020 73888215
Fax: 020 73888492
Web Site: http://www.epic-uk.org
EPIC is a specialist data provider, who administers The Health Improvement Network (THIN) Database.
THIN contains anonymised computerised information entered by general practitioners in the UK. Data on around 3.2 million active patients are systematically recorded and sent anonymously to THIN. THIN collates and organises this information in order for it to be used for research. The computerised information includes demographics, details from general practitioner's visits, diagnoses from specialist referrals and hospital admissions, and the results of laboratory tests. Prescriptions issued by the general practitioner are directly generated from the computer. The Read classification is used to code specific diagnoses, and a drug dictionary based on data from the MULTILEX classification is used to code drugs. The latest dataset contains information on over 8 million patients from 446 general practices in the UK which use the Vision software system to record their consultations. This amounts to approximately 44 million patient years of computerised data.
