Diagnostic Imaging Data Set (DIDS) v2.0 user guidance

The purpose of this guidance is to explain how the national data set should be used and interpreted by users, system providers and other stakeholders, for example, by providing additional information on data groups and data items, along with supplementing the data set Technical Output Specification (TOS).

This guidance is aimed at:

• managers and clinical leads of organisations providing diagnostic imaging services
• information management departments within data provider organisations
• IT system providers operating on behalf of diagnostic imaging services
• other stakeholders responsible for the submission and analysis of DIDS data

The following areas are out of scope of this guidance:

• detailed justification for the development of the Information Standard
• data submission framework (how data is submitted by data providers to the Data Services Platform) further information about this is available from the National Data Integration Tenant (NDIT) web pages
• restating information already accessible from the DIDS TOS

This document should be read in conjunction with the following documents which can be found within the DIDS v2.0 and the DIDS information standard. 

• DIDS v2.0 Requirements Specification
• DIDS v2.0 Change Specification
• DIDS v2.0 Implementation Guidance
• DIDS v2.0 Technical Output Specification (TOS)
• DIDS v2.0 Enhanced Technical Output Specification (ETOS)
• DIDS v2.0 Data Model
• NHS Data Model and Dictionary Change Request
• DIDS v1.0 to v2.0 Mapping Guidance

This guidance document is considered to be a live document and NHS England reserves the right to review and update, when necessary, for example in response to stakeholder feedback. Changes to this document will not necessitate further acceptance from the Data Assurance Board (DAB); however, this is on the understanding that the changes do not affect the scope of the Information Standard.

The NHS Data Model and Dictionary publishes data items and code lists relevant to current data flow.

Where data items in the DIDS are either new to the data set or require an amended code list; the amendments will be published shortly before flow of the new data set and therefore will not currently be consistent with the published TOS, or advice within the guidance documentation.

Individual data items can be found via the search facility on the NHS Data Model and Dictionary webpages. Users should be aware that links to new data items will not be available immediately following ISN publication.