THREDS is a service provided by CTSI that extracts longitudinal data on Community Health Network (CHN) patients for research purposes. Various data sources are used, primarily the LCR (Lifetime Clinical Record) and Invision. Data are available going back to 1996 to answer specific research questions. Typical uses of THREDS data include:

For more information:

Contact: Paul Norris

Procedure for Obtaining Data

• Summary statistics
• Generation of condition-specific patient populations for study recruitment / chart review
• Outcomes research using historical data in CHN databases

It is not appropriate to request THREDS data to build a database for non-specific research use.

The following summarizes the available data items:

• Demographic information including:
• Date of Birth
• Gender
• Race/Ethnicity
• Language
• Marital Status
• NO height/weight information
• Visit information
• Inpatient
• Outpatient
• ER
• Includes information such as attending MD, location, etc.
• Diagnoses (ICD9 codes)
• Results of laboratory tests
• HBA1c, serum/urinary albumin, etc.
• Microbiology Results
• Type (e.g. Mycobacterium Kansasii)
• Specimen Type (urine, serum, etc..)
• Result (Text field with result of test)
• Radiology
• Type (e.g. Chest, Foot, Spinal, etc.)
• Result (Text field with MD Name and test result)
• Current insurance information
• Death information
• Matched against current California DHS Death Registry
• Current through the end of 2004
• Pharmacy
• Current medication lists

Points to Consider

• Data quality may be higher for more recent data, particularly since July 2002.
• THREDS has limited ability to pull very large datasets.
• THREDS staff will make every effort to consult with you and determine what is feasible to meet your needs.

Procedure for Obtaining Data from THREDS

In order to use THREDS data for a research project, the following requirements must be met:

• Either the PI or the Co-PI must be affiliated with UCSF.
• The protocol (link below) suitable for the type of THREDS request must be filled out and sent to Paul Norris whereby the protocol will be reviewed for the viability of using the THREDS data to achieve the stated research goals.

Once the protocol has been accepted, researchers will be notified and the data request will be fulfilled within an agreed upon timeframe.

Application Materials