Sample Workspace Description

Per the All of Us Data User Code of Conduct that all registered researchers sign at registration, a sufficient workspace description is required. Please see our Policy Section for the full version of this and other policies.

When you create a workspace, you will be asked to provide information about the research project you intend to complete using the All of Us dataset. This information will help the All of Us Research Program better understand the research interests of its user base, as well as provide All of Us participants with details about how their data are being used. When completing these sections, remember some of this information (listed below) will be made publicly viewable so simplifying your language or using layman’s language is recommended (i.e., language that is clear, concise, and minimizes use of technical terms). Included below is a workspace research purpose example to help you when creating a workspace. You may want to also view an office hours our policy team created about writing a meaningful workspace description.

The information you provide for the following prompts will be displayed publicly:

• What is the primary purpose of your project?
• What are the specific scientific question(s) you intend to study, and why is the question important (i.e., relevant to science or public health)?
• What are the scientific approaches you plan to use for your study? Describe the datasets, research methods and tools you will use to answer your scientific question(s).
• What are the anticipated findings from the study? How would your findings contribute to the body of scientific knowledge in the field?
• Population of interest

Example Workspace Description

Workspace Title

Understanding the order in which medications are commonly prescribed for type 2 diabetes and hypertension in All of Us participants

Research Use Statement Questions

1. What is the primary purpose of your project?
   • Research purpose
     Choose options below to describe your research purpose
     • Disease-focused research
       [Name of disease]: Diabetes; Hypertension
       
       
2. Please provide a summary of your research purpose by responding to the questions below.
   
   2.1. What are the specific scientific question(s) you intend to study, and why is the question important (i.e. relevant to science or public health)?
   
   We will analyze the order in which medicines for common chronic diseases (medication sequence) are prescribed by looking at different sources of data within the All of Us research dataset. Specific questions we will ask are:
   
   1. What are the main medication sequences prescribed for participants with type 2 diabetes and hypertension over three years of treatment?
   2. What are the most common first anti-diabetic and anti-hypertensive medicines that were prescribed for All of Us participants?
   3. Is there a change in the percentage of participants who were prescribed the most common first medication(s), treated using only one medication, or treated using the most commonly prescribed medication between 2000-2018?
   
   We hypothesize that metformin will be the most common first therapy for diabetes and ACE inhibitors for hypertension. This study will give a better understanding of medication prescription patterns in the United States.
   
   2.2. What are the scientific approaches you plan to use for your study? Describe the datasets, research methods and tools you will use to answer your scientific question(s). (Free text; 1000 character limit)
   
   We will apply algorithms developed at Columbia University and in the OHDSI network to All of Us data to find medication sequences. We will conduct separate analyses for type 2 diabetes and for hypertension. We will use Python and BigQuery to (1) retrieve anti-diabetes and anti-hypertensive medicines and their classes. We will represent these using their ATC 4th level. (2) Visualize medication sequences. (3) Analyze and describe most common medicines prescribed first, and the use of only one medicine (monotherapy). We will describe medication patterns across age and gender. We will look at treatment patterns across rural and urban, and different access to care settings. We will engage community partners (e.g. rural health centers and FQHCs) to review our hypotheses, approach, and study limitations. We will make comparisons only for the demographic variables above. Limitations include that medication reports may not tell us whether or how well people adhered to their prescribed therapy.
   
   2.3. What are the anticipated findings from the study? How would your findings contribute to the body of scientific knowledge in the field?
   
   For this study, we expect to show treatment patterns using data and electronic health records from different sites across the country. We expect to find (1) variation in the medication sequences prescribed to treat All of Us participants who have type 2 diabetes and hypertension; (2) the most common medication used to treat participants as the first line therapy for type 2 diabetes and hypertension; (3) a trend or change over time in what is/are the most common medication(s) prescribed first over the study period; and (4) trend or change overtime for the percentage of participants who were treated using only one medication class (monotherapy). Importantly, the detailed code developed will be made available within the Researcher Workbench, so other researchers may more easily extract medication data and class information using a common medication ontology. We believe this approach will be useful in many discovery studies.
   
   
3. The All of Us Research Program encourages researchers to disseminate their research findings to both scientific and lay/community audiences, to maximize the value of the resource and to recognize the contributions of participant partners. Please tell us how you plan to disseminate your research findings. Choose as many options below as applicable, and specify details in the text box, if available.
   
   • Other: not determined yet
     
     
4. The All of Us Research Program would like to understand how (or if) your research outcome may fit into the All of Us Research Program Scientific Framework. Please select all of the statements below that describe the outcomes you anticipate from your research.
   • None of these statements apply to this research project
     
     
5. Population of interest
   Will your study focus on any historically underrepresented populations?
   
   • Yes, my study will focus on one or more specific underrepresented populations, either on their own or in comparison to other groups.
     
     If "Yes": please indicate your underrepresented population(s) of interest:
     
     • Age groups
       • Older adults (65-74)
       • Older adults (75+)
     • Geography (e.g., Rural, urban, suburban, etc.)
       • Participants who live in a rural or non-metropolitan setting
         
         
6. Request for Review of Research Purpose Description
   Would you like to request a review of your research purpose statement by the Resource Access Board? Note: Your response to this question is private and will not be displayed on the Research Hub.
   • No, I have no concerns at this time about potential stigmatization based on my study.

Please review our All of Us Research Program Stigmatizing Research Policy for further information.