Frameworks, Dimensions, Definitions of Aspects, and Assessment Methods for the Appraisal of Quality of Health Data for Secondary Use: Comprehensive Overview of Reviews

Abstract

BackgroundHealth care has not reached the full potential of the secondary use of health data because of—among other issues—concerns about the quality of the data being used. The shift toward digital health has led to an increase in the volume of health data. However, this increase in quantity has not been matched by a proportional improvement in the quality of health data. ObjectiveThis review aims to offer a comprehensive overview of the existing frameworks for data quality dimensions and assessment methods for the secondary use of health data. In addition, it aims to consolidate the results into a unified framework. MethodsA review of reviews was conducted including reviews describing frameworks of data quality dimensions and their assessment methods, specifically from a secondary use perspective. Reviews were excluded if they were not related to the health care ecosystem, lacked relevant information related to our research objective, and were published in languages other than English. ResultsA total of 22 reviews were included, comprising 22 frameworks, with 23 different terms for dimensions, and 62 definitions of dimensions. All dimensions were mapped toward the data quality framework of the European Institute for Innovation through Health Data. In total, 8 reviews mentioned 38 different assessment methods, pertaining to 31 definitions of the dimensions. ConclusionsThe findings in this review revealed a lack of consensus in the literature regarding the terminology, definitions, and assessment methods for data quality dimensions. This creates ambiguity and difficulties in developing specific assessment methods. This study goes a step further by assigning all observed definitions to a consolidated framework of 9 data quality dimensions.