Friends Of Cancer Research (FOCR): COVID-19 Evidence Accelerator
Organized by the Friends of Cancer Research (FOCR)
Lead: Jeff Allen (FOCR)
SUMMARY: Given the current circumstance, there have been intense efforts to rapidly deploy data collection efforts to help answer key questions related to the management of COVID-19 patients. While each of these efforts will likely develop into valuable data sources over time, there is an urgency to accelerate and maximize the utility of information in the near term. To do this effectively, the development of a core set of common data elements is needed. This would allow any willing data collection effort to embed the common data elements into there on-going work in a uniform way to allow for rapid aggregation and analysis.
Further, a set of common high priority COVID-19 research questions would be very valuable, especially questions that can be answered by many data and research stakeholders via a variety of approaches. Answering similar questions using several approaches will improve the reliability and credibility of results, especially at a time when traditional formal clinical trials and drug development is less feasible.
GOALS:
Establish a common set of core data elements to embed into existing data collection efforts
Identify an initial set of immediate questions regarding the therapeutic interventions, treatment settings, and associated outcomes that could be the initial focus of COVID-19 data aggregation efforts.
PROCESS: A broad group of subject matter experts, public and private data and research organizations, and government leaders will be convened to review an initial proposed set of common core data elements. This will serve as a feasibility check and seek to develop a degree of consensus to this approach. As part of this effort, we will solicit written submissions of key questions that this initiative can focus toward using the agreed upon core data elements from multiple sources. This would be a rapid process to pull together maximum input in a condensed period – 1 week.
NEXT STEPS: Stakeholders will be pulled together using a variety of means during week 1 with data elements and questions crowdsourced. In follow up, a teleconference may be held to describe and update the goals of the initiative. Participants will receive a draft list of core data elements to consider. We will respectfully request that additions/edits be submitted via email, and that representatives be prepared to discuss the proposed elements via teleconference. The same will be done with an initial set of questions. By the end of the week an updated set of data elements and key questions will be provided back to the group. At that time, we will reconvene to discuss strategies for implementing the core data elements and processes for aggregating the data at various intervals.