Data Center: Services

For investigators who are using the Center for Research on Health Care (CRHC) Data Center, we provide the following:

• Preaward Services.
• Postaward Services.
• Web Services.
• Access to Data Center Services.
• Public Use Datasets.
• Protocol for Investigators Seeking Assistance from the Data Center (MS Word Document). This document is an agreement for services that will be performed by the CRHC Data Center. Before the Data Center can begin working on a grant, the investigator must complete and sign the form.

Preaward Services

1. Consulting for proposal development—The Data Center can conduct a power analysis to determine the appropriate sample size. It can also provide methodologic and statistical consulting.
2. Assistance in grant writing—The Data Center has several templates that can be included in a proposal. These include information on the Data Center and team members and a budget justification for the use of the Data Center. The Data Center's statistics consultant can assist in writing the methodology and the hypothesis testing section of the proposal.
3. Budget review—The Data Center manager can review budgets to ensure that the data needs are adequately addressed in the proposal.
4. Development of plans for data management needs.
5. Consulting about the database and programming.
6. Creation of a time line for the study.
7. Establishment of a quality assurance plan.

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Postaward Services

1. Design and implementation of a plan for quality assurance.
2. Creation of databases.
3. Management of databases.
4. Establishment of research integrity.
5. Entry and verification of data.
6. Tracking of data.
7. Cleaning of data.
8. Provision of statistical support services (descriptive statistics and inferential statistics).
9. Establishment of a data repository.
10. Archiving of databases.
11. Development and maintenance of Web sites.

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Web Services

1. Design of Web sites.
2. Creation or updating of online surveys, forms, figures, and applications.
3. Creation of dynamic pages to interact with databases.
4. Development of paperless studies that use tablet PCs.

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Access to Data Center Services

Data Center services can be accessed for specific phases of the research process or can be used for the entire research study. In other words, investigators may choose to work with the Data Center from the beginning phases of the research through the analysis of the data, or they may choose to use only a few services for a particular research project. For more information and to discuss your specific needs, contact us.

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Public Use Datasets

1. National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) of the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Final 2000 Data Release. Eight SAS V8 data sets:

   • Household.
   • Family.
   • Person.
   • Injury/Poison Episode.
   • Injury/Poison Verbatim.
   • Sample Adult.
   • Sample Child.
   • Immunization.

   The NHIS is one of several major data collection efforts undertaken by the NCHS. Its main objective is to monitor the health of the U.S. population through the collection and analysis of survey data on a broad range of health topics. A major strength of the survey lies in its ability to display health characteristics by many demographic and socioeconomic characteristics.

2. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) of the CDC. 2001. One SAS V8 dataset.

   The BRFSS, also conducted by the CDC, is the world’s largest telephone survey. The BRFSS tracks health risks in the United States. As scientific research clearly shows that personal health behaviors play a major role in premature morbidity and mortality, information from the survey can be used to track the health of the American people and to set public health priorities.

3. National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) 2000. Visits to office-based physicians. One SAS V8 dataset.

   The NAMCS is a national survey that collects information on the provision and use of ambulatory medical care services in the United States in nonfederal physician offices. Findings are based on a sample of visits to nonfederally employed office-based physicians who are primarily engaged in direct patient care. The survey was conducted annually from 1973 to 1981, in 1985, and annually since 1989.

4. National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) 2000. Visits to Emergency Department and Outpatient Department. One SAS V8 dataset.

   The NHAMCS collects data on the provision and use of ambulatory care services in hospital emergency and outpatient departments. Findings are based on a national sample of visits to the emergency departments and outpatient departments of noninstitutional general and short-stay hospitals. Annual data collection began in 1992.

5. Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). Two SAS V8 datasets:

   • Full Year Population Characteristics, 2000.
   • Hospital Inpatient Stays, 1999.

   The MEPS, conducted through the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and NCHS, collects data on Americans' use of specific health services, including the frequency of utilization and the cost of services. It also provides information on the cost, scope, and breadth of private health insurance held by the U.S. population. The MEPS links data on health services expenditures and health insurance to demographics, employment, socioeconomic status, health status, and other characteristics of survey respondents.

6. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2000. Four SAS V8 datasets:

   • Body Measures.
   • Blood Pressure.
   • Demographics.
   • Dietary Intakes.

   The NHANES is a survey conducted by the NCHS of the CDC. The survey has been designed to collect information about the health and diet of people in the United States. The NHANES is unique in that it combines a home interview with health tests that are done in a mobile examination center.

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