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Clinical Informatics and Health Outcomes Research Group (CIHORG)

Data from over 2000 general practices

Produces weekly reports on communicable and respiratory diseases


The Clinical Informatics and Health Outcomes Research Group (CIHORG) is the home of the Oxford-Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) Research and Surveillance Centre (RSC), one of the world oldest sentinel networks as well as involved in a wide range of observational and interventional research. 

The RSC has been involved in the sentinel surveillance of respiratory disease, including influenza and COVID-19, for over 50 years. It is a long standing collaboration between the RCGP and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). The scale of the RSC and it capabilities have expanded considerably since 2013, and described in the RSC’s 2023-2024 protocol and recent cohort profile. The lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic included the importance of our network recording high quality data, linking primary care data to virology and other data sources, and providing rapid data access, if we are to be ready for the next. 

The RSC collected pseudonymised data from over 2,000 general practice network members and is used for disease surveillance and research. CIHORG has direct links to the RSC member practices who record high quality data, collect virology, serology and other samples, and recruit practices into research projects.

CIHORG is led by: Simon de Lusignan – Professor of Primary Care & Clinical Informatics, who can be contacted via Zahn Gowar. Our chief statistician is Mark Joy.

CIHORG is organised into two theme groups:

Surveillance and infectious disease epidemiology, led by Uy Hoang, with project management provided by Karina O’Neill and Dominic Dunn (laboratory links).

Cardiometabolic research is lead by Jose Ordonez-Mena, with project management provided by Filipa Ferreira.

Current Projects

Current projects in addition to disease surveillance include:

  • ObservatARI study of intensive surveillance of acute respiratory infections (ARI) in primary care with a focus on respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
  • The Third study of Intestinal Infectious Disease (IID3).  Food Standards agency sponsored study of IID across the UK.
  • Bristol Medicine Review Toolkit Study (BRISMED)
  • SAFER
  • SHADE (GSK grant)
  • MONITORY - Audit-based education to implement NICE Do-Not-Do recommendations in people with cardiometabolic multimorbidity
  • COMBI KID
  • FluSNIFF
  • HEALD
  • STANDOUT

Contact us

Gibson Building, Radcliffe Observatory, Woodstock Rd, Oxford OX2 6GG

email: simon.delusignanpa@phc.ox.ac.uk

Find us here

Our Team

Trials and Prospective Studies

Current and previous studies

Trials and Prospective Studies

Weekly communicable and respiratory disease report

 (via RCGP)

Weekly reports

Surveillance

Research and surveillance centre

Surveillance

RCGP RSC virology practices dashboard

RCGP RSC virology practices sampling and detection of influenza and other monitored viruses.

View dashboard

Latest publications

Latest News

Home-based heart rhythm screening improves diagnosis of common heart condition

A wearable electrocardiogram (ECG) patch increases diagnosis of a common heart rhythm disorder, according to a study by researchers from Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences and led by a team at Oxford Population Health.

Collage of the Summer Academy for the Social Science of Health Innovation

Oxford hosts first Summer Academy for the Social Science of Health Innovation, led by MSc Translational Health Sciences programme team

Oxford’s inaugural Summer Academy for the Social Science of Health Innovation (SASHI) brought together a global community of researchers, practitioners and policymakers for three days of learning, collaboration and critical reflection on the future of health innovation from 18-20 August 2025 at St Hilda’s College.

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Women with obesity seeking IVF 47% more likely to conceive naturally after weight loss, Oxford review finds

Department research finds weight-loss programmes raise natural-conception odds by 47% for women with obesity seeking IVF, potentially easing NHS access barriers and reducing treatment need.