i2b2: Informatics for Integrating Biology and the Bedside

About the tool

The i2b2 tool is a scalable informatics framework that organizes and transforms patient-oriented clinical data in a way that's optimized for clinical research. It was designed and developed by Harvard Medical School with funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and is now used by more than 250 research institutions worldwide.

In 2016, the Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCaTS) at Mayo Clinic deployed its instance of i2b2. i2b2 is offered as a self-service tool, free of charge to all Mayo Clinic staff. Customer support and consultation are also provided by CCaTS informatics team. Since its deployment, the tool has been used by over 600 Mayo Clinic researchers for various types and stages of research, including:

  • Feasibility analysis
  • Assistance with study design and eligibility criteria
  • Cohort identification
  • Recruitment of patients to studies
  • Population health research

About the data

Mayo Clinic's i2b2 data includes de-identified information from patients at Mayo's campuses in Arizona, Florida, and Minnesota as well as Mayo Clinic Health System. The data is sourced primarily from Mayo Clinic's Unified Data Platform, which gives users access to data throughout Mayo Clinic's history of electronic health records. Data is refreshed daily. Users with an approved and active institutional review board (IRB) number or review preparatory to research (RPR) number can re-establish patient identity by using i2b2's data export feature.

Data in i2b2 is organized into categories and includes:

  • Diagnoses
  • Procedures
  • Medications
  • Laboratory Results
  • Demographics
  • Future Appointments
  • Providers
  • Visit Details such as visit site, age at visit, and length of stay
  • Vital Signs, consisting of body mass index (BMI), to be expanded in the future
  • Social History, consisting of Smoking Status, to be expanded
  • Research Study participation for large, general-interest studies

About interoperability

i2b2 is an open-source clinical data warehousing and analytics research platform, which enables sharing, integration, standardization, and analysis of heterogenous data from healthcare and research.

Mayo Clinic has been active in efforts to increase collaboration using its instance of i2b2.

  • Trial Innovation Network (TIN): i2b2 allows Mayo Clinic to participate and respond quickly to requests from other institutions
  • Accrual to Clinical Trials (ACT) Network: Mayo Clinic joined the ACT Network in 2018, enabling interoperability of the structured i2b2 data between Mayo Clinic and other sites in the NCATS CTSA consortium. In addition, Mayo Clinic is an active member of the Data Harmonization working group for ACT.
  • National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C): The availability of data via i2b2 enabled Mayo Clinic's timely participation in this partnership focused on COVID-19 research.

Training and access

Mayo Clinic employees can find more information about i2b2 on the Mayo Clinic network by accessing the i2b2 intranet site. To learn how to get started and receive access to i2b2, please follow the link titled "How do I get started?"

Advanced training in in-person classes is regularly scheduled and available through the MyLearning site in HR Connect on the Mayo Clinic network.

In-person demonstrations of the tool to larger groups, such as department or division research committees, are also available by request.

Contact

To request access to the i2b2 tool or to schedule a specialized training session, email i2b2admin@mayo.edu.

If you're an existing user and have questions or need assistance, email i2b2support@mayo.edu.

Acknowledgment

Mayo Clinic's installation of the i2b2 tool is offered and supported by the Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCaTS).

National Institutes of Health (NIH) Public Access Policy requires that all publication that results from NIH funding be uploaded to PubMed Central. Review the process for uploading publications.

All users of the i2b2 tool must cite the NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award (grant UL1TR002377) in any resulting publications. Citation meets NIH regulations and helps ensure that support is available for future research.

Find more information and example citations.