Primary Care Training Enhancement

The goal of this session is to introduce the use of secondary data sources and secondary data analysis. As a research methodology, secondary data analysis techniques consist of accessible research study designs or approaches, suitable for clinicians or health care providers. The goal of the session is to encourage learners to identify potential data sources that exist within clinical settings or are otherwise available to them through the public domain for use in answering research questions around a topic of interest.

Session Length: 60 minutes

Prerequisite(s): None

Learning Objectives

• Define secondary data research as a methodology for using previously collected and/or publicly accessible information and data to systematically address research questions.

• Discuss examples of secondary data analysis and sources of existing data within clinical settings.

• Identify strengths and limitations of secondary data as a methodology.

• Consider how secondary data analysis relates to research ethics, including concepts of human subjects research, program evaluation and quality improvement.

• Formulate learner-initiated research ideas from their clinical experience that could be better understood by using secondary data analysis methodologies.

Author:  Natalie Bonfine, PhD

School: Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED)