Carlo Mataverde a member of our Examination Committee takes a look at an article reflecting on the lessons learned from ten international COVID-19 driver projects

The article discusses the challenges and lessons learned from 10 international research projects under the International COVID-19 Data Alliance (ICODA) program that aimed to reuse existing health data to address major questions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Common challenges identified were time-consuming processes around data sharing agreements, data curation, making metadata “FAIR” (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable), and performing analyses on diverse data sources.

A number of solutions are discussed including providing standard data sharing templates, using expert data curation support early on, and leveraging a trusted research environment to facilitate secure data sharing. The article also shared that using the “Five Safes” framework and accrediting researchers helped enable appropriate data access while also protecting privacy. Early stakeholder engagement was deemed to be critical for shaping relevant research questions and promoting uptake of research findings. Practices like sharing code, methods, and metadata catalogues promoted transparency and reusability.

The authors stated that having a group of projects working in parallel allowed helpful synergies and faster problem-solving across teams. Data infrastructure, governance processes, and sufficient budgeting for curation are also vital for accelerating the secondary use of health data. The insights from this article could be valuable for health informaticians involved in similar data use and sharing initiatives, even beyond the context of a global pandemic.

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