DELPHI: Deliver Primary Healthcare Information

 DELPHI

Background

The Deliver Primary Healthcare Information (DELPHI) project is based at the Centre for Studies in Family Medicine at Western University in London, Ontario. In 2005, DELPHI established a researchable database derived from de-identified data pooled from the electronic medical records (EMR) of ten primary health care practices throughout southwestern Ontario. The database is the first Canadian primary care EMR-derived database which used the International Classification of Primary Care to code symptoms and diagnoses for a subset of patient encounters. Since inception of the DELPHI project additional physicians have been recruited and the database now includes 60 family physicians from 18 practice sites, 64,377 patients and over 1.9 million patient-provider encounters. Originally focused on eight process indicators in primary care, the scope of inquiry has expanded to encompass methodology & data quality, symptoms & health conditions, and health services utilization studies. The original purpose of the DELPHI project was to describe, assess, and improve the quality and continuity of primary healthcare. DELPHI’s objectives were to characterize primary health care in Ontario from a service delivery and clinical care perspective. Building on our previous work, we are initiating new studies within four inter-linked domains. First, we are exploring health services research questions, for example, those related to utilization and cost. Second, we are examining questions of more clinical interest such as medication adherence and the presence and natural history of symptoms and conditions among patients. Third, care delivery questions such as the use of EMRs in clinical practice are being explored. Fourth, we are implementing methodologic studies including the development of new techniques of EMR data analysis, the creation of risk prediction models, and the assessment of EMR data quality.

Research Team

Amanda Terry, PhD, Co-Principal Investigator
Bridget Ryan, PhD, Co-Principal Investigator
Moira Stewart, PhD, Co-Investigator, (Original Principal Investigator and creator of DELPHI)
Sonny Cejic, MD, CCFP, B.Ed, MSc, Co-Investigator
Tom Freeman, MD, MClSc, CCFP, FCFP, Co-Investigator
Dan Lizotte, PhD, Co-Investigator
Scott McKay, MD, CCFP, FCFP, Co-Investigator
Kathryn Nicholson, PhD, Co-Investigator
Mark Speechley, PhD, Co-Investigator
Amardeep Thind, MD, PhD, Co-Investigator

DELPHI Program Contact Information:

For more information about the DELPHI Project, please contact:
Amanda Terry
Centre for Studies in Family Medicine
The University of Western Ontario
London Area: 519.661.2111 x 20049