Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
in Electronic Health Records
A library of indicators for ACEs in EHRs. Search, discover, and access tools, code lists, and resources to implement clinically relevant and validated indicators of ACEs in your research using de-identified electronic health records.
What is ACEs in EHRs?
The ACEsinEHRs platform provides validated domains, indicators, and code lists to identify adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in routinely collected de-identified electronic health records of parents and children before and after birth.
Examples of recorded ACEs include child maltreatment (e.g., child protection), exposure to domestic violence and abuse, and growing up with parental mental health problems or substance use problems (e.g., trio of vulnerabilities). This website is continuously updated and provides information on definitions, concepts, measures, and standardised tools to help users apply the developed ACE indicators to create “research-ready” datasets.
See publications here
About ACEs in EHRs
Learn about the background, core definitions, and inclusion criteria underpinning the ACEsinEHRs platform.
ACE Domains
View and download comprehensive lists of selected and excluded indicators, complete with clinical relevance rankings.
Browse Code Lists
Search, filter, and access clinical code lists seamlessly cross-mapped across multiple healthcare coding systems.
Starter Guide
Access our quick-start guide and practical resources for implementing ACE indicators and code lists in your research.
Theory & Definitions
Explore the foundational definitions, theoretical frameworks, and data workflows used to conceptualize ACEs.
Research Outputs
Discover published papers, project presentations, and academic outputs generated using the ACEsinEHRs platform.
UPDATE July 2023: To derive ACEs using combined maternal and paternal data, please see the paper published in the Lancet Public Health:
"Family adversity and health characteristics associated with intimate partner violence in children and parents presenting to health care: a population-based birth cohort study in England".
Core Study: This library stores ACE indicators and algorithms accompanying the paper published in Lancet Digital Health:
"Identifying adverse childhood experiences with electronic health records of linked mothers and children in England: a multistage development and validation study, (2022)."
Users must cite the www.ACEsinEHRs.com library and the accompanying Lancet Digital Health publication in all research outputs, presentations and reports.
No EHR or patient data is stored in this library. The information is not intended for clinical use.