📌 BIFAP – Spain 🇪🇸

🔍 What is it?

The Base de Datos para la Investigación Farmacoepidemiológica en Atención Primaria (BIFAP) is a primary care database in Spain, managed by the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices (AEMPS). It collects electronic health records (EHRs) from a network of participating general practitioners (GPs) and pediatricians, providing valuable real-world data (RWD) for pharmacoepidemiological and clinical research.

📊 Key Features & Scope

📍 Geographical coverage: Spain 🇪🇸
🏥 Data type: Primary care EHRs
🕒 Time coverage: Since 2001, with continuous updates
👥 Population covered: Over 7 million patients from participating GPs across multiple Spanish regions
🔄 Longitudinal data: Allows long-term patient follow-up with detailed medical history
📈 Pathologies: Commonly studied conditions include cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, respiratory conditions (asthma, COPD), mental health disorders, and infectious diseases

✅ Strengths & Best Use Cases

🌍 Large, representative dataset – Covers multiple autonomous regions in Spain
💊 Drug utilization & safety – Contains prescription data, making it useful for studying medication adherence and adverse effects
📈 Longitudinal follow-up – Enables research on disease progression and treatment outcomes
🚀 Epidemiological studies – Supports research on disease incidence, prevalence, and healthcare resource use

⚠️ Limitations & Considerations

🏥 Limited hospital/specialist data – Focuses primarily on primary care encounters
📉 Potential underreporting – Certain conditions might be under-recorded if not requiring GP intervention

📚 How to Access & Learn More

🔗 Access: Requires research proposals to be approved by AEMPS
🎓 Publications: here
📄 More info: here