Towards a More Data Oriented Medical Research Environment - Survey Results on Information and Data Practice

Objective: The article contains results from a survey conducted among medical
professionals regarding the way in which they handle research data in
practice. The aim of the survey was to identify potential for improved data
orientation and to ascertain starting points for support tools. The results were
to be used to develop creativity-promoting computer-based tools.
Method: The empirical basis was provided by guideline-based qualitative
interviews and a quantitatively structured online survey. The interviews were
partly transcribed and evaluated using content analysis.
Results: Data analyses are primarily conducted in a target-oriented manner,
i.e. on the basis of a hypothesis, with data centres representing an important
source of reference for the surveyed medical professionals. The means used
for analysing data indicate individual working practices, with the analyses
often being conducted at the medical professionals’ desks and towards the
end of the working day. The results of analyses are often used in publications
but less used for research applications.Conclusion: The results lead to the conclusion that methods for exploring
data that are as easily accessible as possible with as few barriers as possible
need to be offered. A prerequisite for a shift from hypothesis-oriented research
to data-oriented research would appear to be a link with data centres
that offer processed/prepared and anonymised data. Further data sources and
other secondary information sources should also be able to be integrated.
Complex visualisations can likewise support data-oriented working practices
if they are offered as an option.