Using administrative data from public health and drug programs

This entry presents an overview of how real-world administrative data, routinely available as part of clinical practice within healthcare systems, can be used to generate real-world evidence to inform regulators, support policy formation and monitoring, shape service delivery, and improve patient care. We outline in brief the methods that can be applied to these data, incorporating strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges with the use of aggregate and individual-level data, respectively. We complete with illustrations, from the authors' own experiences, of how real-world data can drive, both within countries and across countries, improvement in patient care as part of public health and drug programs