The NIH Common Data Element Repository is a platform to find common data elements which have been recommended or required for use by NIH institutes and centers. The repository provides machine-readable definitions of data elements and forms.

NIH has endorsed collections of CDEs that meet established criteria. NIH-endorsed CDEs are designated in the repository with a gold ribbon.

This is an example of a record inside the CDE Repository for the Patient Health Questionnaire 9. It contains a rendering of what the form might look like in a data collection tool, and other information such as reference documents and question text for each question.

Users can search CDEs and forms with keywords or browse by NIH institute or initiative. Users can export in many different formats such as CDISC’s XML – Operational Data Model, ONC’s XML – Structured Data Capture, and HL7’s Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR).