Feasibility Assessments 

Basic database feasibility assessments are requests 'only requiring'  basic patient, drug, therapy or variable counts. These requests do not require any extensive code list work, data processing or analyses. The OPCRD database is assessed to provide basic patient counts for conditions, therapies, variables and/or data of interest. 

Detailed database feasibility assessments are requests that require additional data work (e.g. compilation of code lists and data analysis) to derive the required patient counts for conditions, therapies, variables or data of interest. The requirements e.g. inclusion and exclusion criteria for a given study, project or idea is applied to the OPCRD database to determine the number of potentially eligible patients, sites/areas or data of interest. A feasibility report is produced which we can then be used to inform the study or project. This service is suitable for study design and patient recruitment planning, drug/treatment utilisation, power calculation assumptions and exploratory analysis.

On-site or practice feasibility assessments involve conducting feasibility at selected and consented practices in the OPC network. The feasibility is conducted usually at 5 to 10 sites or practices to ascertain current understanding of the specific patient population, assess both practice and patient interest in participating in the potential study, and to verify data collection requirements.

Each site participating in the on-site feasibility is supported by a dedicated OPC coordinator to undertake the required activities – e.g. Data verification, patient engagement (phone calls and surveys), etc.

This assessment provides valuable real-world insight on project or study uptake, resource and time factors, and potential challenges or barriers to study or project viability, initiation or delivery.