BTS Clinical Data Policy and Data Access

The BTS Clinical Audit, Lung Disease Registry and MDR-TB Clinical Advice Service programmes comprise a number of datasets.

We use data from these programmes to help improve patient care, and organisations can apply to access and make use of these datasets in their own research.

How to make an application

If you wish to make an application for data we advise you to read the BTS Data Access Policy, complete the Data Request Form (included in the Data Access Policy as Appendix 1) and send it to bts@brit-thoracic.org.uk

A scoping form is available below to allow preliminary enquiries to be made - please complete and return to bts@brit-thoracic.org.uk 

All applications will be reviewed by the BTS Quality Improvement Committee and a decision will be made on the approval of the data request within three months of receipt. Successful applicants will be asked to sign a Data Sharing Agreement before data are released.

Researchers from recognised organisations may apply for access to anonymised or pseudonymised data from the following BTS datasets:

BTS Clinical Audit Programme

Data are available from BTS national audits held from April 2018 onwards. For details of the programme of BTS national audits please click here. The following audit datasets will be available for data access requests:

• National BTS Community Acquired Pneumonia in adults 2018/19
• National BTS Non invasive Ventilation in Adults 2019 
• National BTS Smoking Cessation Audits 2019 and 2021
• National BTS Outpatient Management of Pulmonary Embolism 2021
• National Pleural Services Organisational 2021

UK Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) Registry Programme

Data are available from the UK ILD Registry from January 2013 onwards. The Registry includes patients who have ILDs with evidence of fibrosis or with sarcoidosis, and the majority of cases included are of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

For details of the full Registry datasets please click here.

BTS MDR-TB Clinical Advice Service Programme

Data are available from the BTS MDR-TB Clinical Advice Service from January 2018 onwards. Available data are updated annually on 1 October. For details of the full dataset please click here.

If you have any queries about the application process please contact BTS Head Office at bts@brit-thoracic.org.uk