ArticleBig data & society2017
Challenges in administrative data linkage for research.
Article in Big data & society, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 159 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
159 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Systematic review of validated case definitions to identify hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in administrative healthcare databases.Open heart · 2023Pooled it
- Development of Indirect Health Data Linkage on Health Product Use and Care Trajectories in France: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Pooled it
- Pooled it
- A Comprehensive Systematic Review of Data Linkage Publications on Diabetes in Australia.Frontiers in public health · 2022Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Antimicrobial-impregnated central venous catheters for preventing neonatal bloodstream infection: the PREVAIL RCT.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2020Trial
- Ethics of Health Data Infrastructures: Toward Continuous Governance and Public Trust.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Advancing Family Medicine Through Dyadic Electronic Medical Record Linkage in Dementia Care.Annals of family medicine · 2026Article
- Evaluability assessment of a targeted national anti-child poverty policy: option appraisal for evaluating the Scottish Child Payment.Health research policy and systems · 2026Article
- Observed Versus Expected Use of Diagnostic Imaging and Radiotherapy in Prostate Cancer in the Lazio Region (Italy): An Integrated Population-Based and Literature-Informed Framework for Healthcare Planning.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Risk-Based Pre-Admission Screening for Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacterales (CRE): A Patient-Level Observational Study in a High-Endemic European Setting.Microorganisms · 2026Article
- Accuracy of administrative data in ascertaining health conditions: a systematic review.JAMIA open · 2026Review
- Data linkage studies on veteran suicidality: a scoping review of the field, knowledge gaps and evidence appraisal.BMC psychiatry · 2026Article
- Attitudes towards data access and sharing health data for research: a case study of Australian data custodian perspectives.Health information management : journal of the Health Information Management Association of Australia · 2026Article
- A Review of Medical Data Sharing Initiatives With a Focus on the Use of Blockchain Technologies: Qualitative Comparative Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Review
- A national atlas to improve the study of Canadians living with long COVID (post-COVID-19 condition).Canadian journal of public health = Revue canadienne de sante publique · 2026Article
- Evaluation of the Accuracy of Probabilistic Record Linkage Across Sociodemographic Categories in 4 Databases: Exploratory Study.JMIR formative research · 2026Article
- A Landscape Overview of Integrated Data Systems Funding and Staffing Models Across the U.S.International journal of population data science · 2026Article
- The evolution of sampling in epidemiology: from classical probability models to AI-enhanced recruitment and active learning.Epidemiology and health · 2026Review
- Maternal characteristics and neonatal outcomes in twin pregnancies in Brazil: A nationwide population-based study, 2015-2024.PloS one · 2026Article
99 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Linkage of population-based administrative data is a valuable tool for combining detailed individual-level information from different sources for research. While not a substitute for classical studies based on primary data collection, analyses of linked administrative data can answer questions that require large sample sizes or detailed data on hard-to-reach populations, and generate evidence with a high level of external validity and applicability for policy making. There are unique challenges in the appropriate research use of linked administrative data, for example with respect to bias from linkage errors where records cannot be linked or are linked together incorrectly. For confidentiality and other reasons, the separation of data linkage processes and analysis of linked data is generally regarded as best practice. However, the 'black box' of data linkage can make it difficult for researchers to judge the reliability of the resulting linked data for their required purposes. This article aims to provide an overview of challenges in linking administrative data for research. We aim to increase understanding of the implications of (i) the data linkage environment and privacy preservation; (ii) the linkage process itself (including data preparation, and deterministic and probabilistic linkage methods) and (iii) linkage quality and potential bias in linked data. We draw on examples from a number of countries to illustrate a range of approaches for data linkage in different contexts.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.