The REporting of studies Conducted using Observational Routinely-collected health Data (RECORD) Statement

TLDR

Routinely collected health data, originally gathered for administrative and clinical purposes, are increasingly used for research, yet existing guidelines such as STROBE fail to address issues arising from their rapid evolution and availability. This document, together with its website and message board, aims to improve the implementation and understanding of RECORD, thereby encouraging transparency among authors, editors, and reviewers. RECORD offers a 13‑item checklist covering title, abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, and required information, supplemented by explanatory notes, elaboration, and examples to facilitate its use. RECORD was developed as an extension of STROBE to fill reporting gaps specific to observational studies using routinely collected health data.

Abstract

Routinely collected health data, obtained for administrative and clinical purposes without specific a priori research goals, are increasingly used for research. The rapid evolution and availability of these data have revealed issues not addressed by existing reporting guidelines, such as Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE). The REporting of studies Conducted using Observational Routinely collected health Data (RECORD) statement was created to fill these gaps. RECORD was created as an extension to the STROBE statement to address reporting items specific to observational studies using routinely collected health data. RECORD consists of a checklist of 13 items related to the title, abstract, introduction, methods, results, and discussion section of articles, and other information required for inclusion in such research reports. This document contains the checklist and explanatory and elaboration information to enhance the use of the checklist. Examples of good reporting for each RECORD checklist item are also included herein. This document, as well as the accompanying website and message board (http://www.record-statement.org), will enhance the implementation and understanding of RECORD. Through implementation of RECORD, authors, journals editors, and peer reviewers can encourage transparency of research reporting.