# Development of a data dictionary on viral hepatitis for the Philippines

## TL;DR

This paper describes the creation of a standardized data dictionary for viral hepatitis in the Philippines to improve data quality and interoperability.

## Contribution

The paper introduces a locally tailored data dictionary aligned with international standards for viral hepatitis in the Philippines.

## Key findings

- A multidisciplinary team mapped 125 data elements to international code sets.
- Workshops facilitated consensus among experts on viral hepatitis care processes.
- The draft data dictionary supports semantic interoperability of electronic medical records.

## Abstract

The considerable difference between the reported number of actual and estimated viral hepatitis cases in the Philippines can be attributed to the lack of reliable data. Since viral hepatitis is endemic in the country, efficient disease control depends on access to quality data. The rapid adoption of electronic medical records in different facilities in the country offers opportunities for access to such data but raises concerns about its standardization for analysis. This study presents the steps taken toward the adoption of a standardized data dictionary for viral hepatitis, referencing existing international terminology standards. A series of workshops were conducted to gain consensus among subject matter experts such as epidemiologists, hepatologists and informaticists. These workshops provided context to the different stakeholders through a shared understanding of viral hepatitis care processes and transforming these into computable representations. Using Department of Health-approved paper forms for viral hepatitis surveillance, a multidisciplinary team mapped the 125 unique data elements to various international standard code sets. The output was a draft Philippine Viral Hepatitis Data Dictionary—a prerequisite for the semantic interoperability of data from different electronic medical records.