Citation

Victor TW, Mera RM. J. Am. Med. Inform. Assoc. 2001; 8(3): 281-288.

Affiliation

Healthcare Informatics, SmithKline Beecham, Collegeville, Pennsylvania 19426-2990, USA. timothy.w.victor@sbphrd.com

Copyright

(Copyright © 2001, American Medical Informatics Association, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

11320072

PMCID

PMC131035

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This paper provides a detailed description of a method developed for purposes of linking records of individual patients, represented in diverse data sets, across time and geography. DESIGN: The procedure for record linkage has three major components-data standardization, weight estimation, and matching. The proposed method was designed to incorporate a combination of exact and probabilistic matching techniques. MEASUREMENTS: The procedure was validated using convergent, divergent, and criterion validity measures. RESULTS: The output of the process achieved a sensitivity of 92 percent and a specificity that approached 100 percent. CONCLUSIONS: The procedure is a first step in addressing the current trend toward larger and more complex databases.

Language: en