Use of the French National Health Data System (SNDS) in pharmacoepidemiology: A systematic review in its maturation phase

Abstract

The French National Health Data System (SNDS) comprises healthcare data that cover 99% of the population (over 67 million individuals) in France. The aim of this study was to present an overview of published pharmacoepidemiological studies using the SNDS in its maturation phase. We conducted a systematic literature review of original research articles in the Pubmed and EMBASE databases from January 2012 until August 2018. A total of 316 full-text articles were included, with an annual increase over the study period. Only 16 records were excluded after screening because they did not involve the SNDS but other French healthcare databases. The study design was clearly reported in only 66% of studies of which 57% were retrospective cohorts and 22% cross-sectional studies. The reported study objectives were drug utilization (65%), safety (22%) and effectiveness (9%). Almost all ATC groups were studied but the most frequent ones concerned the nervous system in 149 studies (49%), cardiovascular system drugs in 104 studies (34%) and anti-infectives for systemic use in 50 studies (16%). The SNDS is of growing interest for studies on drug use and safety, which could be conducted more in specific populations, including children, pregnant women and the elderly, as these populations are often not included in clinical trials.