Day: 19 January 2016

Guest post

Why do I want to share my genetic data?

This is a guest post by Craig Macpherson about why he wants to share his genetic data. He is the founder and editor of DNA Testing Choice, a reviews site for the DNA tests you can take at home.  Why have I recently had my Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) done, and why do I want to make this data publicly available?  Let me take you back a few years so I can answer this question… Although I founded DNA Testing Choice two years ago, I actually came up with the idea in 2010 when I read an article in The Times. A journalist had taken three home DNA tests to establish his genetic predisposition to glaucoma. The results of these tests were broadly similar, but the interpretation of his genetic variants differed significantly.  This raised two interesting questions for me, 1) ‘how would I work out which home DNA test to take, given the complex nature of the service?’, and 2) ‘how would I verify the interpretation I received?’  The first question inspired the site, the second inspired me to buy my WGS. It seemed to me that those taking home DNA tests should be able to separate the raw genetic […]

Guest post

What is so great about ICD -10?

This is a guest post about ICD -10 by Laura O’Donnell who writes on behalf of EHR, electronic health record experts at OmniMD. As of October 1, 2015 the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) is effectively now in ‘round 10.’ This means that all providers covered by HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act) are required to make the transition from ICD -9 to ICD-10. It is anticipated that ICD-10’s contribution to precise and meaningful data integration and sharing – across the industry as well as our institutes of research – will further our understanding of medical complications and clarify the connection between a patient’s condition and their physician’s performance. How does sharing data affect research? Applying standard ontologies (vocabularies) to organize and leverage the power of shared knowledge across various disciplines has significantly changed the face of research. As regards to this post, the medical industry’s adoption of ICD language has enabled us to discover and react to patterns affecting public health. For example, prognosis research is using data sharing to focus on future outcomes for patients with particular diseases. Physicians, clinics, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies now combine their respective knowledge with actual patient data. […]

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