Data resource profile update: CPRD GOLD

Journal article

- Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) GOLD is a large and well-regarded UK primary care data source that was established in 1987 and is used in national and international research to generate real-world evidence. Since the last-published profile, CPRD GOLD has undergone significant changes that need to be documented.

- In the last 10 years, the CPRD GOLD regional distribution of currently contributing general practitioner (GP) practices has significantly shifted, resulting in many new practices joining from Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and fewer participating from England. These changes have affected the CPRD GOLD population size, regional coverage, and eligibility for data linkages.

- CPRD GOLD January 2024 contains >21.3 million historical and current patients (12.9 in England, 3.1 in Wales, 4.7 in Scotland, 0.7 in Northern Ireland). Of these, nearly 3 million are currently registered in a GP practice and represent ∼4.3% of the estimated current UK population (0.1% in England, 32.3% in Wales, 28.6% in Scotland, 16.2% in Northern Ireland).

- Patients currently registered in CPRD GOLD January 2024 are broadly representative of the UK population with respect to age and sex.

- Future studies using CPRD GOLD should consider this updated profile to avoid potential pitfalls in study design, data interpretation, and research conclusions.

Authors: Sanchez-Santos, M; Axson, EL; Dedman, D; Delmestri, A

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Journal: International Journal of Epidemiology
• Volume: 54
• Issue: 4
• Article number: dyaf077
• Publication date: 2025-06-11
• Acceptance date: 2025-05-15
• DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyaf077
• EISSN: 1464-3685
• ISSN: 0300-5771
• Language: English
• Keywords: real-world evidence; electronic health records; primary care data; real-world data