Using the Spinal Cord Injury Common Data Elements

International Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Data Sets include core, basic, and extended data sets. To date, 13 data sets have been published on the Web site of the International Spinal Cord Injury Society The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), embarked on a Common Data Element (CDE) Project 5 years ago. The mission of the NINDS CDE Project is to develop data standards for clinical research. Collaboration between the NINDS CDE and the International SCI Data Sets projects has proven beneficial in many ways. Common wording in the data sets and recommended database structure are now available, enabling researchers from around the world to design databases in a way that enhances data sharing and multisite research.

• 1
  The consistency of the data sets and the CDE format may improve the ability to transfer critical medical information electronically from one center to another.
• 2
  The International SCI Core Data Set variables can be captured on a 1-page data collection form.
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  The SCI CDEs can serve as building blocks for additional standards, including data sharing and aggregation tools.