Importing Information

There is an 'Importing Data to NACR' pdf that is attached in this section which outlines the basic process for setting up file uploads from your internal database to NACR.

Importing Data to NACR

In addition, please find below a few important updates for programmes importing, or working on importing, their data from Trust/In-house databases to the National Audit of Cardiac Rehabilitation.

• Duplicate Initiating Events: We're working with NHS Digital to resolve an issue around duplicate Initiating Event records that has been flagged up by a few importing programmes. At this point we want to avoid putting any sort of restricting 'rule' in place on the database, and see if this can be resolved in other ways - primarily around some small changes to how data is collected and uploaded by importers.

  • Duplicate Event records are created if the system sees a record uploaded with an Initiating Event or Initiating Event date that doesn't match one already on the system eg. a patient has an MI with one team who puts their information on manually. Then a PCI or CABG with a second programme who upload their information. This is all part of the same 'event' from a NACR/rehab point of view, however, if the details and/or date don't match, a second duplicate record will be created.

    • Solution: Referring trusts should ensure that Event dates, wherever possible, are passed to the second trust/programme so that data can be aligned

    • Don't change IE dates on internal trust systems if at all possible - as this may cause duplicates if data is uploaded more than once.

• Over-writing valid data with 'Unknowns': A few programmes who enter data manually have raised an issue regarding fields with valid data - eg. Ethnicity, Marital Status, Gender - being overwritten by 'Unknown' or similar by uploaders.

• The only data that must be completed, otherwise the record will fail, are the mandatory fields. If data isn't available for a field, rather than creating a default eg. using 'Unknown' please leave the field blank to avoid overwriting valid information.