Sharing and Reusing Computable Phenotype Definitions

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundA scalable approach for the sharing and reuse of human-readable and computer-executable phenotype definitions can facilitate the reuse of electronic health records for cohort identification and research studies.DescriptionWe developed a tool called Sharephe for the Informatics for Integrating Biology and the Bedside (i2b2) platform. Sharephe consists of a plugin for i2b2 and a cloud-based searchable repository of computable phenotypes, has the functionality to import to and export from the repository, and has the ability to link to supporting metadata.DiscussionThe i2b2 platform enables researchers to create, evaluate, and implement phenotypes without knowing complex query languages. In an initial evaluation, two sites on the Evolve to Next-Gen ACT (ENACT) network used Sharephe to successfully create, share, and reuse phenotypes.ConclusionThe combination of a cloud-based computable repository and an i2b2 plugin for accessing the repository enables investigators to store and retrieve phenotypes from anywhere and at any time and to collaborate across sites in a research network.