Repository details

The Health Improvement Network

⚠ Caution: This entry is annotated as "Offline: 2026-09-29". If you believe this is incorrect, please submit a change request.
Name of repository
The Health Improvement Network
Additional name(s)
  • THIN
Repository URL
https://www.the-health-improvement-network.com/
Subject(s)
Description
THIN is a medical data collection scheme that collects anonymised patient data from its members through the healthcare software Vision. The UK Primary Care database contains longitudinal patient records for approximately 6% of the UK Population. The anonymised data collection, which goes back to 1994, is nationally representative of the UK population.
Keyword(s)
Repository size
587 practices covered; 12.000.000 patients; 3.600.000 active patients
Repository type(s)
  • disciplinary
Mission statement for designated community
https://www.the-health-improvement-network.co.uk/#what-is-thin
Research data repository language(s)
  • English
Data and/or service provider
  • dataProvider

Dates

Started
2002-11
Offline
2026-09-29

Institutions (4)

Institution name
Cegedim
Additional name(s)
  • Cegedim Healthcare Solutions
Country
United Kingdom
Type(s) of responsibility
  • general
Type of institution
commercial
Institution name
European Network of Centres for Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacovigilance
Additional name(s)
  • ENCePP
Country
European Union
Type(s) of responsibility
  • funding
Type of institution
non-profit
Institution name
IQVIA
Additional name(s)
  • formerly: IMS Health Ltd
  • The Human Data Science Company
  • formerly: CSD Medical Research UK
Institution identifier(s)
Country
United Kingdom
Type(s) of responsibility
  • general
Type of institution
commercial
Start date of responsibility
2017
Institution name
UK National Health Service
Additional name(s)
  • NHS
Institution identifier(s)
Country
United Kingdom
Type(s) of responsibility
  • general
Type of institution
non-profit

Policies (2)

Policy name
Legal Notices
Policy name
European Network of Centres for Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacovigilance - ENCePP Guide on Methodological Standards

Database access

Type of access to research data repository
closed

Data access (2)

Type of access to data
restricted
Data access restriction type(s)
  • registration
Type of access to data
restricted
Data access restriction type(s)
  • feeRequired

Data licenses (1)

Data license
other

Data upload (1)

Type of data upload
restricted
Data upload restriction type(s)
  • feeRequired
Persistent identifier system(s)
  • none
Name of the repository software
  • other
Enhanced publication
yes

Remarks

Remarks
The Health Improvement Network - THIN is covered by Thomson Reuters Data Citation Index. Additional Information Services (AIS) is the division of THIN which obtains anonymised hard copy information for medical studies. AIS liases with THIN data contributors on behalf of researchers to obtain documents which add valuable information to studies. This information can be in the form of anonymised questionnaires completed by the GP or patient, copies of patient-related correspondence, a specified intervention (e.g. a laboratory test to confirm diagnosis) or death certificates. All documentation is depersonalised by the practice and checked by AIS to ensure anonymisation is complete before the information is supplied to the researcher. All studies have ethical approval by NHS Multicentre Research Ethics Committees (MREC) before AIS requests are made to practices.
Entry date
2014-11-24
Last update
2026-09-29
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Cite this re3data.org record:

re3data.org: The Health Improvement Network; editing status 2026-09-29; re3data.org - Registry of Research Data Repositories. https://doi.org/10.17616/R3GS6B last accessed: 2026-10-24