Best Research Databases for Medicine and Healthcare
Public health is a field that relies on data, and as such, it can be difficult to find databases that are geared toward public health research. Fortunately, there are several sources available for those who want to do their own analysis of data or share their findings with others. Here are some of the best medical databases for public health research:
The CDC's Wonder Database
Source: wonder.cdc
The CDC's WONDER database is a searchable database of CDC data that can be used to find information on disease outbreaks, health statistics and environmental health. The database contains over 100 million records dating back to the 1960s. The information in WONDER can be accessed by anyone who wants it; however, users must register before they can search or download any data.
The Global Health Observatory Data Repository
Source: www.who.int/data/gho
The Global Health Observatory Data Repository is a database that provides access to data from the World Health Organization. The repository contains information on diseases, risk factors and health systems at country, regional and global levels. It can be used to explore trends in health status over time or compare different countries' performance on key indicators.
The data are available for download in Excel format or as an RDF data stream that can be accessed via SPARQL endpoints (an open-source query language).
The Human Genome Project Data Repository
The Human Genome Project Data Repository is a database of all the data collected during the Human Genome Project. It's a comprehensive resource for researchers to find information about genetic variation, gene structure, and protein sequences. The database is available online to anyone who wants to use it--and it can be accessed through many different websites (including https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genome).
The Open Humans Project
Source: Openhumans
The Open Humans Project is a platform for people to share their health data. Researchers can use the data to study the effect of genetics and lifestyle on health.
The project aims to address two major issues:
- Privacy: People often don't want their personal medical information to be shared with third parties, even if it could help scientists find new treatments for diseases or better ways to prevent them from occurring in the first place.
- Accessibility: It's hard for researchers at different institutions across the world who are studying related subjects to share information with each other because they don't have access to each other's databases or they don't know what questions should be asked about them (or both).
