PrimDISC Committee

Primary Care Hosted Research Datasets Independent Scientific Committee (PrimDISC)

The department has developed a unified approvals process for accessing departmental data resources.  This includes applications to use primary care research datasets, and for the re-use and re-analysis of existing Departmental Trials, Cohorts or other studies. 

An independent committee, PrimDISC, reviews the applications.  PrimDISC acts on behalf of the NDPCHS Research Committee.

PrimDISC functions to provide access to NDPCHS assets only as some resources, including CPRD, Opensafely and QResearch, require different modes of application. 

If you are interested in joining the PrimDISC as an Expert or Lay Member, please get in touch via primdisc@phc.ox.ac.uk.

Please find below the role description:

• Provide timely and high-quality peer review of the scientific (medical, epidemiological, methodological) merit of research protocols proposing access and use of the patient data within its remit
• Provide timely and high-quality peer review of the feasibility, quality and public health value of applications proposing the use of the patient data within its remit
• Follow the criteria and principles set out by the NDPCHS Research Committee in assessing and advising on research applications to access NDPCHS databases
• Assess and advise on ethical or confidentiality issues that may arise during access and/or use of the patient data within its remit in research studies, taking into consideration input from the research ethics committees or other groups, as relevant
• Follow the criteria and principles set out by the relevant oversight boards in assessing and advising on applications to access the databases
• Review internal workings of the Committee to ensure consistency, efficiency and high standards of peer-review are maintained
• Advise the research teams on technical issues that may arise
• Advise on other specific issues within its remit, as requested
• Assess if the proposed project requires ethical approval and to make any positive evaluation contingent to confirmation that this has been obtained. 

24th June 2024 - submission deadline 31st May

29th July 2024 - submission deadline 5th July

30th September 2024 - submission deadline 6th September

28th October 2024 - submission deadline 4th October

25th November 2024 - submission deadline 1st November

PD-0036-2024 National Enhanced Service Scheme Evaluation (NESIE)

PD-0035-2024 Description and validation of a new digital phenotype for identifying cases of acute respiratory infections (ARI) from the primary care electronic health record for respiratory sentinel surveillance

PD-0033-2024 Differentiating COVID-19 Infection Outcomes by Immunosuppressed Subgroups 

PD-0032-2023 Health care costs associated with the AstraZeneca and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines

PD-0031-2023 NIHR Cancer Policy Research Unit: A cohort study monitoring cancer-related primary care activity and patient outcomes, and the impact of significant events

PD-0030-2023  Intensive surveillance of acute respiratory infections (ARI) in primary care with a focus on respiratory syncytial virus (RSV): prospective sentinel network observational study (Moderna ObservatARI)

PD-0029-2023 Non-cancer diagnoses and their potential for missed opportunities in symptomatic cancer diagnosis: a mixed methods study

PD-0028-2023 Welcome Project

PD-0025-2023 OPAL

PD-0024-2023 Demonstrating the feasibility of a Learning Health System for cancer diagnosis in primary care (CRUK)

PD-0023-2023 Assessing the Contributions of Additional Role Practitioners to general practice in England (CARPE) V1

PD-0022-2023 What are the associations between features of digital behaviour change interventions (DBCIs) for smoking cessation and intervention effectiveness, and how does socioeconomic status moderate them? A systematic review with planned meta-analysis and meta-CART

PD-0021-2023 LOCOMOTION

PD-0020-2023 Estimating prevalence of influenza-like illness and COVID-19 using non-traditional, user generated data streams

PD-0019-2023 PIMAS study

PD-0018-2023 COMNET

PD-0017-2023 Could social prescribing contribute to type 2 diabetes prevention in people at high risk? A population-based study using primary care data

PD-0016-2023 HEALD

PD-0014-2023 Monitoring Quantitative Mental Health Indicators Across Different Healthcare Settings during the COVID-19 Pandemic in England

PD-0013-2023 VU SYNTHESIS IPD project

PD-0011-2023 Using microbiological data to improve the use of antibiotics for respiratory tract infections: individual patient data meta-analysis 

PD-0009-2022 The ACD (Atrial Fibrillation, Chronic Kidney Disease, DOACs) Study. DOAC Adherence, persistence and monitoring in Atrial Fibrillation and CKD

PD-0006-2022 LONGKid

PD-0005-2022 Kidney Outcome Trials

PD-0004-2022 Applicability of Guidelines

PD-0003-2022 COMBIKID

PD-0002-2022 OSCAR

PD-0001-2022 SHIP

CR-0105-2021 Predicting the health and economic consequences of standardised diagnostic pathways for hypertension compared to existing hypertension diagnostic parkways