NIH’s Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership Seeks Public Feedback on Research Priorities

OMOP was formed in 2008 to conduct methodologic research to inform the suitable use of observational healthcare data for studying the effects of medical products. OMOP has generated empirical evidence about the performance of observational analysis methods to identify real risks of medical products and discriminate from false findings. The basic goal of this research is to develop and evaluate standardized algorithms that can effectively distinguish positive from negative controls, and to understand how an estimated effect from an observational study relates to the true relationship between medical product exposure and adverse events.

As part of its research, OMOP has developed tools and capabilities for transforming, characterizing, and examining disparate data sources across the healthcare delivery spectrum, and has established a shared resource to enable collaborative research. OMOP’s research continues to reiterate the idea that advancing the science of observational research requires an empirical and reproducible approach to methodology and its systematic application.

To continue the effort, the OMOP executive board proposed a series of priorities, infrastructure tasks, and research tasks to guide the development of OMOP’s research agenda for 2013-2016.

The OMOP executive board is seeking comment on the adequacy and completeness of the research priorities and tasks. “Receiving public feedback regarding OMOP’s work is vital to our success,” said OMOP executive board member, Ronald Krall, MD. “We want to make sure we hear every idea about how to use healthcare data to improve the safety and effectiveness of medical products.”

The proposed research priorities and tasks are found on the OMOP website with instructions on how to provide feedback. Comments can be given through September 15, 2012.

Established by the United States Congress to support the mission of the NIH--improving health through scientific discovery in the search for cure--the Foundation for the NIH is a leader in identifying and addressing complex scientific and health issues.

Related Links:
Foundation for the US National Institutes of Health
Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership