Health Search Database (HSD) – Italy

What is it?

The Health Search Database (HSD) is a general practice (GP) database in Italy, maintained by the Italian College of General Practitioners (Società Italiana di Medicina Generale, SIMG). It collects electronic health records (EHRs) from a network of participating GPs, offering valuable real-world data (RWD) for epidemiological and pharmacoepidemiology research.

Key Features & Scope

Geographical coverage: Italy

Data type: Primary care EHRs

Time coverage: Since the early 1990s, with increasing completeness over time

Population covered: 800+ GPs and over 1.1 million active patients, representing about 3% of the Italian population

Longitudinal data: Continuous follow-up of patients with rich medical history

📈 Pathologies: Well represented pathologies include: cardiovascular conditions, diabetes mellitus, COPD & asthma, depression and dementia

 Strengths & Best Use Cases

 Nationwide representativeness – Captures real-world patient populations across different Italian regions

Drug utilization  – Provides prescription data, suitable for studying medication adherence and treatment pathways

 Longitudinal follow-up – Enables tracking of patient health trajectories

Disease epidemiology - incidence/prevalence

Limitations & Considerations

🏥 Limited specialist/hospital data – Focuses on primary care
📉 Potential underreporting – Some conditions may be under-recorded if they don’t require GP intervention

How to Access & Learn More

Access: Requires research proposals to be approved by SIMG

 🎓 Publications: https://healthsearch.it/pubblicazioni/pubmed/

More info: [HSD]