The Institute for Translational Sciences, with administration and support from the UTMB Information Technology Services-Research Information Systems team, provides Informatics for Integrating Biology and the Bedside (i2b2) as an open-source application that allows rapid identification of patient cohorts within data from the Epic- Electronic Medical
Record (EMR) and other sources at UTMB. Originally developed by an NIH-funded National Center for Biomedical Computing (NCBC) based at Partners HealthCare System in Boston, MA, this platform enjoys wide international adoption by the CTSA network,
academic health centers, and industry.
Since all of the data is de-identified, users do not need prior IRB approval to access the system for feasibility studies. However, to release patient level data UTMB requires IRB approval for research studies. If you need help preparing an IRB submission
or retrieving patient level information, please feel free to contact us for assistance.
Please see our Exempt Determination document for what
is exempt from IRB review.
We recommend the i2b2 platform for special projects only and encourage users to look into ACT/SHRINE or TriNetX for their de-identified data searches.
We also recommend that users receive training on the use of i2b2. One on one training and group training are available to faculty and their staff.
If your project meets the requirements above, you may submit a request for services at https://utmb.us/3ve.
Additionally, we are a participating institution in the NCATS supported ENACT Network. The ENACT Network allows researchers to explore and
validate feasibility for clinical studies from their desktops,
providing a real-time platform for this purpose within the CTSA
consortium.
It is equipped to assist researchers in designing and
completing clinical studies, ensuring that the data and processes are
secure and compliant with relevant regulations such as HIPAA.
Researchers can use the network to query patient data
from participating sites, which includes demographics, diagnoses, lab
results, and medications prescribed. This is to help determine the
availability of suitable candidates for clinical studies.
For more information, visit their website here: ENACT Network.
Specific uses of i2b2 include:
Identifying a population for clinical trials,
Identifying geographic areas for clinical trial recruitment,
Quick "what if's" - for example where you are trying to link a drug to a procedure or diagnosis,
Eliminate manual chart reviews for many data request types - resulting in increased efficiency and data accuracy,
Federated queries for discovery research across multiple institutions.
Who can use it? (Open to anyone at UTMB.)
How do I get access? You can submit a request for services at https://utmb.us/3ve.
Find your Trusted Requester here!
To learn more about i2b2, visit https://www.i2b2.org/
Contact: ITS.RIS@utmb.edu