Trauma Surg Acute Care Open. 2018 Jun 27;3(1):e000193. doi:10.1136/tsaco-2018-000193. eCollection 2018.

Launch of the National Trauma Research Repository coincides with new data sharing requirements.

Price M, Bixby P, Phillips M, Beilman G, Bulger E, Davis M, McAuliffe M, Rasmussen T, Salinas J, Smith S, Spott M, Weireter L, Jenkins D

Previous analyses of research data have shown that many trauma studies cannot be replicated or validated due to a variety of factors, including lack of access to study data, lack of access to protocol information, and inability to replicate procedures used in the study. New data sharing rules for federally funded studies have been put in place to address factors associated with this issue.

To address these new data sharing requirements, beginning this month, investigators conducting research on trauma and critical care will be able to maximize the utility of the data they produce with the launch of the National Trauma Research Repository (NTRR). The system was developed as a resource to support new and emerging data sharing needs within the trauma research community and is envisioned to be a key piece of the national trauma research infrastructure. It is funded by the Department of Defense (DoD) and developed by the National Trauma Institute (NTI) to promote collaboration, accelerate research, and advance knowledge on the treatment of trauma. When it becomes fully functional, the NTRR will be a comprehensive repository offering thousands of data points from hundreds of studies, enabling investigators to query across studies for their own research objectives.