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The Health Improvement Network (THIN) database represents a collaboration between two companies; In Practice Systems (INPS) - who developed Vision software used by general practitioners (GPs) in the UK to manage patient data, and IMS Health who then provide access to the data for use in medical research. THIN data are collected during routine practice and regularly delivered to THIN. Since THIN data collection began in 2003, over 500 Vision practices have joined the scheme. Research studies for publication conducted using THIN data are approved by a nationally accredited ethics committee which has also approved the data collection scheme. The UCL Research Departments Primary Care & Population Health (PCPH) and Infection & Public Health (IPH) have acquired a full license to THIN for the purposes of conducting large-scale epidemiological, clinical and health care utilisation studies. THIN data currently contains the electronic medical records of 11.1 million patients (3.7 million active patients) equivalent to 75.6 million patient years of data collected from 562 general practices in the UK, covering 6.2% of the UK population. All data are fully anonymised, processed and validated by CSD Medical Research UK. THIN is a database of anonymized electronic health records (EHR) of more than 10 million patients from more than 530 primary care practices in the UK. It is not a claims database and is most commonly used in research on epidemiology, drug safety, health economics, outcomes, and drug utilization. Their patient data is representative of the UK based on gender, age, most major diseases, and geographic location. Unique to this database is the inclusion of anonymized free text comments accompanying patient records. THIN is the database of information collected exclusively from Vision software used in primary care offices. This differentiates it from CPRD, which is a database of National Health Service data. THIN contains mainly outpatient data and inpatient data only for patients already in THIN (eg: their primary care provider uses the Vision software). THIN is a large database with over 400 variables; however, not all fields are mandatory to be entered. Patients receive a unique patient ID and THIN captures when a patient registers and “deregisters” with the database, but it is unknown if patients who move in and out of the EHR receive a new patient ID or not. The database contains over 10 million records and has the ability to go back and collect extra information from patients, physicians, and research sites.

Logistic Regression (37.33%), Cox Regression (26.04%), Chi-Squared Test (23.27%), Poisson Regression (12.44%), Regression Model (9.91%), Inverse Probability Weighting (8.99%), Linear Regression (8.53%), T-Test (8.06%), Survival Analysis (6.91%), Propensity Score Matching (6.68%)