Considerations for the Use of Biochemical Laboratory Registry Data in Clinical and Public Health Research

The automation of a wide variety of laboratory equipment and analyses has generated large amounts of laboratory data that can be used for research purposes. It is therefore increasingly important to support researchers, in particular those with no or limited laboratory background, in identifying and handling potential biases and pitfalls associated with use of these data. This commentary reviews five central considerations for researchers who extract and analyze routine biochemical laboratory-generated data from registers, with the aim of improving the quality, accuracy, and transparency of future studies.1. Why are biochemical laboratory data relevant to examine the hypothesis, and how were the variable(s) utilized in the study?2. What were the primary indications for specimen collection in the study population of interest?3. Were there any pre-analytical circumstances that could influence the test results?4. Are data comparable between producing laboratories and within the single laboratory over time?5. Is the database representative in terms of completeness of study populations and key variables?