📌 PHARMO – Netherlands 🇳🇱

🔍 What is it?

The PHARMO Database Network is a population-based real-world data (RWD) source in the Netherlands, linking various healthcare databases to provide comprehensive patient-level insights. It is widely used for pharmacoepidemiology, drug safety, and health outcomes research, integrating data from pharmacies, hospitals, general practitioners (GPs), and registries.

📊 Key Features & Scope

📍 Geographical coverage: Netherlands 🇳🇱 (nationwide)
🏥 Data type: Linked healthcare databases, including prescriptions, hospitalizations, GP data, lab tests, and mortality records
🕒 Time coverage: Since 1998, continuously updated
👥 Population covered: Over 10 million individuals, representing a significant proportion of the Dutch population
🔄 Longitudinal data: Long-term follow-up with linkage across different care settings
📈 Pathologies: Strong coverage of cardiovascular diseases, oncology, metabolic disorders, respiratory diseases, and mental health conditions

✅ Strengths & Best Use Cases

🌍 Nationwide, linked healthcare data – Provides a holistic view of patient journeys
💊 Pharmacoepidemiology & drug safety – Ideal for studying real-world medication use and outcomes
📈 Longitudinal tracking – Enables multi-year patient follow-up across care settings
🏥 Hospital & GP data integration – Supports studies requiring disease diagnoses, hospital stays, and treatments
🚀 Regulatory & post-marketing studies – Used for PASS studies and risk-benefit assessments

⚠️ Limitations & Considerations

🏥 Data linkage complexity – Some datasets may not cover the entire population due to separate data sources
📉 Limited patient-reported outcomes – Mainly healthcare provider-reported data

📚 How to Access & Learn More

🔗 Access: Requires research proposals to be reviewed and approved by PHARMO
🎓 Publications: link to relevant studies
📄 More info: PHARMO