Positive reports from NHS users of the web-based service, eDQRS, say it is a major asset for improving data quality within ClearNET and the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data warehouse. The service, supplied by McKesson and Ardentia, has been available to all of England’s 28 strategic health authorities (StHAs) since August 2003 to check the data quality of trusts within their areas. According to eDQRS’s suppliers, users list speed, ease of use and depth of information as its mains strengths. “eDQRS gives us an overall view of each trust and is helping us to help them improve data quality,” said Madeleine Munn, data quality co-ordinator at Norfolk, Suffolk & Cambridgeshire StHA. “Without correct data they will not get the right performance results which will lead to star ratings being cut." Gerry Firkins of Sheffield Teaching Hospitals and the data quality representative for South Yorkshire StHA, said: “eDQRS has the potential for improving things nationally and not least in improving the national HES database. Improving data quality is imperative for sharing data easily and making valid assumptions from it. eDQRS helps focus the mind on all aspects of data quality to improve processes within trusts and in some cases produce clinical improvements. It boosts confidence in the quality of data and unless you have confidence in the data then it becomes unusable." Firkins added that eDQRS had more facilities than the existing DQRS service to drill-down to find the source of data quality problems. “Being web-based also overcomes the problems of updating, managing and storing data," he said. McKesson and its technology partner, Ardentia, say eDQRS offers many other advantages. “Perhaps the biggest advantage is getting an early warning that the quality of data is poor,” says McKesson’s NWCS account manager Tony Leighton. “With monthly updates, trusts can sort the problem long before HES extraction dates. It’s too late once national figures are published."
