📌 JMDC – Japan 🇯🇵

🔍 What is it?

JMDC (Japan Medical Data Center) is a large-scale claims database in Japan that integrates health insurance claims (administrative data), health check-up data, and pharmacy records. It offers valuable real-world data (RWD) for epidemiology, drug safety, and health economics research.

📊 Key Features & Scope

📍 Geographical coverage: Japan 🇯🇵 (nationwide, from employer-based health insurance)
🏥 Data type: Claims (medical + pharmacy), health check-up results
🕒 Time coverage: Since 2005, continuously updated
👥 Population covered: Over 10 million individuals, primarily from employer-sponsored health insurance plans
🔄 Longitudinal data: Patient-level follow-up over multiple years
📈 Pathologies: Strong representation of chronic diseases, including hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer

✅ Strengths & Best Use Cases

🌍 Large, nationwide dataset – Covers diverse patient populations across Japan
💊 Drug utilization & safety – Supports studies on prescription trends, adherence, and treatment outcomes
📈 Longitudinal follow-up – Enables patient journey tracking, from diagnosis to treatment
🏥 Health check-up integration – Provides additional clinical data (e.g., BMI, blood pressure, lab values)
🚀 Epidemiological & HEOR research – Ideal for studying disease prevalence, healthcare costs, and medical interventions

⚠️ Limitations & Considerations

🏥 Limited hospital data – Lacks direct inpatient medical records (hospitalization details may be incomplete)
📉 Employer-based population bias – Less representative of elderly populations covered by national health insurance

📚 How to Access & Learn More

🔗 Access: Requires research proposal submission and approval by JMDC
🎓 Publications: link to relevant studies
📄 More info: JMDC