A Statement of Intended Use is required if you are requesting SID, SASD, and/or SEDD files from the HCUP Central Distributor. This Statement of Intended Use is reviewed by AHRQ on behalf of the Data Organizations that make their data available through the HCUP Central Distributor ("HCUP Partners").

The Statement of Intended Use should be a brief narrative including enough information for reviewers to assess compliance with the HCUP Data Use Agreement for State Databases and must include:

• A description of the subject area and/or specific project
• The goals and objectives of the project
• The intended audience and anticipated final product(s)
• Any specific reason for requesting the HCUP databases

The DUA provides complete descriptions of the acceptable uses of the HCUP SID, SASD, and SEDD. In general, files from these databases are available for the purposes of research and aggregate statistical reporting. Attempts to identify individuals are strictly prohibited. Information that could identify establishments directly or by inference may not be released in disseminated or shared materials.

Tips for preparing your Statement of Intended Use:

The abstract does not need to be long, but should contain sufficient details so that the reviewer has a fundamental understanding of how the HCUP data will be used and reported. Well-written abstracts are usually about 250 words. Short, terse descriptions often raise questions.

For primarily academic purchasers, this abstract is similar to one that would be submitted for possible presentation at an academic conference where the data analysis has not been completed.

For primarily non-academic purchasers, some features of the intended use that help reviewers understand the project better include:

• What are the levels of aggregated statistics being investigated (e.g., geographic, hospital, condition-specific)?
• What are the expected products (e.g., client reports, tables, peer-review manuscripts)?
• Who are the main audiences (e.g., academic, clients)? If "clients", who are your clients?
• How will the audience use this information?

Notes:

1. Exploratory use is permissible, but should be clearly stated in the Statement of Intended Use submitted with your order. Further, as concrete projects emerge from approved exploratory work, the data custodian must submit a "Re-use Request" to the HCUP Central Distributor for review and approval by AHRQ before work may begin on any new, specific project.
2. Even if you are purchasing additional data for a previously approved project, you must provide the complete project description for each individual purchase. Failure to do so will delay the review of the new application(s). If you have the order number(s) for the related purchases available, please also include them.
3. The AHRQ reviewers will put your application on hold and request additional clarification from you if you do not provide all of the information requested.