Minor data requests are available to current STS National Database participants interested in requesting ad hoc queries of Database data for internal quality improvement purposes. If you are seeking data for research purposes, please refer to the STS Research Center’s Minor Data Request – For Research Purposes page.
General Information
- The intended use of minor request results is internal quality improvement. Results cannot be used for research, external presentation, or publication.
- Database participants may submit minor data requests for the Database component(s) in which they participate. GTSD minor data requests currently are not being accepted. STS anticipates this service will resume in Summer 2022.
- Data generated for a minor data request do not include complex statistical analysis and cannot be combined with or compared against externally sourced data.
- Surgeon-level data may not be requested.
- STS will accept one minor data request per Database participant per year. The approval of minor requests depends on the availability of the analytic center resources at the time of the request.
Minor Data Request Review Process
- STS receives a data request form and sends an email response to the requestor to confirm receipt.
- STS conducts an internal review of the data request. If the request is not approved, STS notifies the requestor accordingly. If approved, the request continues through the review process.
- The STS National Database analytic center generates an estimate of hours required to complete the requested analysis.
- If the data request requires 4 hours or fewer of analytic time, STS notifies the requestor regarding the approval of his/her request, and the analytic center begins work. The processing time for a minor data request is approximately 6 weeks.
- STS is unable to approve data requests requiring more than 4 hours of analytic time. The requestor is notified accordingly.
- The analytic center provides progress updates to the requestor as available. Once analyses are completed, the analytic center provides data to the requestor in the appropriate electronic format.
For more information, contact Banu Yagci, STS Quality Measures Manager.