The Medicines Intelligence Data Platform: A population-based data resource from New South Wales, Australia
Authors: Zoega Helga , Falster Michael O , Gillies Malcolm B , Litchfield Melisa , Camacho Ximena , Bruno Claudia , Daniels Benjamin , Donnolley Natasha , Havard Alys , Schaffer Andrea L , Chambers Georgina , Degenhardt Louisa , Dobbins Timothy , Gisev Natasa , Ivers Rebecca , Jorm Louisa , Liu Bette , Vajdic Claire M , Pearson Sallie-Anne 
Published: April 2024

TheMedicines Intelligence (MedIntel) Data Platformis an anonymised linked data resource designed to generate real-world evidence on prescribed medicine use, safety, costs and cost-effectiveness in Australia. The platform comprises Medicare-eligible people who are ≥18 years and residing in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, any time during 2005-2020, with linked data on dispensed prescription medicines (Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme), health service use (Medicare Benefits Schedule), emergency department visits (NSW Emergency Department Data Collection), hospitalisations (NSW Admitted Patient Data Collection), cancer notifications (NSW Cancer Registry), fact and cause of death (National Death Index). Data are currently available to 2022, with approval to update the cohort and data collections annually.

The platform includes 7.4 million unique people across all years, covering 36.9% of the Australian adult population; the overall population increased from 4.8M in 2005 to 6.0M in 2020. As of 1 January 2019 (the last pre-pandemic year), the cohort had a mean age of 48.7 years (51.1% female), with most people (4.4M, 74.7%) residing in a major city. In 2019, 4.4M people (73.3%) were dispensed a medicine, 1.2M (20.5%) were hospitalised, 5.3M (89.4%) had a GP or specialist appointment, and 54 003 people died. Anti-infectives were the most prevalent medicines dispensed to the cohort in 2019 (43.1%), followed by nervous system (32.2%) and cardiovascular system medicines (30.2%).

TheMedIntel Data Platformcreates opportunities for national and international research collaborations and enables us to address contemporary clinically- and policy-relevant research questions about quality use of medicines and health outcomes in Australia and globally.

Five Key Points

TheMedicines Intelligence (MedIntel) Data Platformis a purpose-built, real-world data resource designed to generate evidence on prescribed medicine use, safety, costs and cost-effectiveness in Australia

This is a whole of population anonymised linkage of medicine and health records of Medicare-eligible adults (≥18 years) residing in Australia’s most populous state, New South Wales, from 2005 onwards

The platform comprised 7.4M unique people across all years, representing 36.9% of the Australian adult population; the population increased from 4.8M in 2005 to 6.0M in 2020

As of 1 January 2019 (the last pre-pandemic year), the cohort had a mean age of 48.7 years (51.1% female), with most people (4.4M, 74.7%) residing in a major city

TheMedIntel Data Platformcreates unique research opportunities for national and international research collaborations exploring population-level medicine use and outcomes

Plain Language Summary

TheMedicines Intelligence (MedIntel) Data Platformis a new linked data resource established to generate evidence on prescribed medicine use, safety, costs, and cost-effectiveness in Australia. It adheres to best practice privacy principles, with no identifying information available to researchers. The platform comprises Medicare-eligible people who are ≥18 years and residing in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, any time during 2005-2020, with linked data on dispensed prescription medicines, Medicare services, emergency department visits, hospitalisations, cancer notifications, and deaths. In total, the platform includes 7.4 million unique people across all years, covering 36.9% of the Australian adult population. As of 1 January 2019 (the last pre-pandemic year), the cohort had a mean age of 48.7 years (51.1% female), with most people (4.4M, 74.7%) residing in a major city. In 2019, 4.4M people (73.3%) were dispensed a medicine (most commonly anti-infective, nervous system, and cardiovascular medicines), 1.2M (20.5%) were hospitalised, 5.3M (89.4%) had a GP or specialist appointment, and 54 003 people died. Data are available until 2022 with approval for annual updates. This platform creates opportunities for national and international research collaborations and enables us to address important questions about quality use of medicines and health outcomes.