Clinical Research Informatics

Clinical Research Informatics (CRI) is a subdomain of biomedical and health informatics that focuses on the application of informatics to the discovery and management of new knowledge relating to health and disease. It includes management of information related to clinical trials, and also involves informatics related to secondary research use of clinical data. Clinical research informatics and translational bioinformatics are the primary domains related to informatics activities to support translational research(1).

Background

The definition of CRI is evolving as it emerges as subdiscipline. A 2009 definition focused CRI specifically on the domain of clinical research (human clinical trials and studies) but acknowledged that CRI also touches on the domain of translational research (in medicine, research focused on what precedes and follows human clinical research [colloquially known as "bench to bedside" and and "bedside to practice" research approaches, respectively])(2).

A 2012 definition, however, took a broader view, suggesting that CRI "...focuses on developing new informatics theories, tools, and solutions to accelerate the full translational continuum"(3). If this definition becomes widely adopted, CRI may combine with another emerging subdomain, Translational Research Informatics (TRI).

Related concepts

• Translational bioinformatics
• Translational Research Informatics

References

1. Informatics areas: clinical research informatics [Online]. 2012 [cited 2012 Nov 25]; Available from: URL:http://www.amia.org/applications-informatics/clinical-research-informatics
2. Embi PJ, Payne PR. Clinical research informatics: challenges, opportunities and definition for an emerging domain. J Am Med Inform Assoc 2009;16:323, 325.
3. Kahn MG, Weng C. Clinical research informatics: a conceptual perspective. J Am Med Inform Assoc 2012 Apr [cited 2012 Nov 25]; 19(e1):[e36-42]. Available from: URL:http://jamia.bmj.com.liboff.ohsu.edu/content/19/e1/e36.full.pdf+html

External resources

• AMIA Clinical Research Working Group fosters interaction, discussion, and collaboration among individuals and groups involved or interested in the practice and study of CRI
• JAMIA issues focused on CRI
  • June 2012, Volume 19, Issue e1
  • September 2011, Volume 18, Issue 5
• CRIwiki is a wiki dedicated to topics in CRI
• Researchinformatics.org is a website devoted to topics in CRI and TRI
• Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences
• Institute of Translational Health Sciences

Submitted by Deb Woodcock