Validation of electronic medical database in patients with atrial fibrillation in community hospitals.

Background: The electronic medical database (EMD) has been increasingly used for clinical research as it reflects a real-world practice with large and heterogeneous samples. However, few studies have reported on the validity of EMD from community hospitals for research purposes.

Objective: To assess the validity of EMD based on data from patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) receiving care from community hospitals in Phitsanulok Province, Thailand.