title: [Epidemiological studies based on medical and administrative databases : a potential strength in France].
abstract: Population-based epidemiological cohorts may include nowadays hundreds of thousands of subjects, followed-up during decades. France has a major potential strength: nationwide medical and social databases set up for administrative purposes. The main databases useful for epidemiology are the social security database which contains individual medical data from different sources, and the retirement fund database on employment and social benefits. These databases have several advantages: they cover the whole French population, with no lost to follow-up, data are often of good quality and it is possible to link them with individual surveys. However medical data are not always ascertained and an important methodological and practical work has to be done, and some legal and practical problems have to be solved for an optimal use.
authors.affiliation: Inserm U1018, Plate-forme de recherche Cohortes épidémiologiques en population, Centre de recherche en épidémiologie et santé des populations, 16, avenue Paul Vaillant-Couturier, 94807 Villejuif, France. marcel.goldberg@inserm.fr
authors.forename: Marcel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Goldberg
authors.forename: Mireille
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Coeuret-Pellicer
authors.forename: Céline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ribet
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zins
mesh_terms: D015331:Cohort Studies; D016208:Databases, Factual / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards / Q000600:supply & distribution; D015340:Epidemiologic Research Design; D016021:Epidemiologic Studies; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006262:Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008499:Medical Records / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011153:Population; D012042:Registries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012952:Societies / Q000706:statistics & numerical data