IntroductionThe Tasmanian Data Linkage Unit (TDLU) undertook a complex data linkage project in 2019 linking public and private pathology data to five disparate health datasets. Having linked pathology data previously, the unit was aware of the challenges it faced linking a large dataset covering a fourteen-year time span. The aim of this study was to use data-linkage to develop a Tasmanian dataset to quantify the burden and distribution of chronic kidney disease, including identifying barriers to dialysis treatment services.
 Objectives and ApproachA cohort was selected from public and private providers of pathology services in Tasmania from 2004-2017 to support the establishment of a comprehensive researchable dataset. A linkage plan was developed that included detailed processes for cleaning and de-duplicating the pathology data prior to linkage. The larger private pathology dataset comprised 3.9 million records and data cleaning strategies were implemented. De-duplication created extensive clerical review and methods to reduce this work were devised and implemented as part of the linkage process.
 ResultsDe-duplication based on exact matches reduced the size of the dat
📖 افتح في inklap 🔗 DOI 📮 اطلب بحثاً