Importing Surveys from the NIH Common Data Elements (CDE) Repository

What is the NIH CDE Repository?

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) defines a common data element (CDE) as "standardized, precisely defined questions paired with a set of specific allowable responses, used systematically across different sites, studies, or clinical trials to ensure consistent data collection." Using CDEs in health research improves data collection accuracy and consistency across studies. The National Library of Medicine and the NIH recently made improving data interoperability in health research a strategic priority by recommending, and often requiring, the use of CDEs in the studies they support. In 2015, the NIH developed the NIH CDE Repository to make it easier for the health research community to utilize CDEs in their research

Import Complete Surveys from the NIH CDE Repository

MyDataHelps Designer makes it possible to import surveys from the NIH CDE Repository via the publicly available NIH API. Import is accessible through the Survey Library.

To import a survey from the NIH CDE Repository using the MyDataHelps Designer, click Surveys at the top of your screen. Navigate to the Survey Library, select the NIH CDE tab, and enter a keyword in the Search field and Classification if applicable (e.g., NLM).

For the purpose of this example, we'll import the NINDS Alcohol and Tobacco Survey. Entering NINDS as the Classification and “Alcohol” in the Search field returns 72 results.

Open the dropdown and select the desired survey to import from the 72 search results. Review the survey name and details. Click Import to automatically add this survey into your workspace’s survey list.

Import Survey Steps from the NIH CDE Repository

In addition to importing full surveys from the NIH CDE Repository, it is possible import single survey steps, as shown below.