title: Capturing data from distant hospital databases for cancer registration.
abstract: The particular logistical problems of collecting cancer registration data in the South-Western region of England are discussed. The Regional Cancer Registry has endeavoured to overcome these through developing electronic links to hospital-based patient-information systems. Some of these involve data transfer on magnetic media, but there are also interrogation facilities which operate on a realtime, interactive basis, and complement these other facilities. A PC-based program (SNODEV5), which can accept data from histopathology computer systems, translate SNOMED codes to ICD-9, and produce files suitable for processing by the registry's Batch Data Entry system is described. Its contribution to the achievement and monitoring of equity in health care provision is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health Medicine University of Bristol.
authors.forename: D F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Pheby
mesh_terms: D003625:Data Collection; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D006751:Hospital Information Systems / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007256:Information Systems / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008492:Medical Informatics Computing; D016347:Medical Records Systems, Computerized / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008838:Microcomputers; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012042:Registries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012984:Software