Background A scalable approach for the sharing and reuse of human-readable and computer-executable phenotype definitions can facilitate the reuse of electronic health records for cohort identification and research studies. Description We developed a tool called Sharephe for the Informatics for Integrating Biology and the Bedside (i2b2) platform. Sharephe consists of a plugin for i2b2 and a cloud-based searchable repository of computable phenotypes, has the functionality to import to and export from the repository, and has the ability to link to supporting metadata. Discussion The i2b2 platform enables researchers to create, evaluate, and implement phenotypes without knowing complex query languages. In an initial evaluation, two sites on the Evolve to Next-Gen ACT (ENACT) network used Sharephe to successfully create, share, and reuse phenotypes. Conclusion The combination of a cloud-based computable repository and an i2b2 plugin for accessing the repository enables investigators to store and retrieve phenotypes from anywhere and at any time and to collaborate across sites in a research network.

The authors have declared no competing interest.

The research reported in this publication was supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under award numbers UL1 TR001857 and U24 TR004111. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

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