Deterministic record linkage versus similarity functions: a study in health databases from Brazil.
The record linkage is a strategy that allows linking different databases of information from patient records. Adopting the deterministic method and similarity functions (Dice, Jaro, Jaro-Winkler and Levenshtein) for the integration of heterogeneous databases aimed at different levels of health care Brazilian (primary, secondary and tertiary). The sensitivity of deterministic method was 54.5% (95% CI: 50.4 to 58.5). The best result obtained with the dissent of only one variable (mother's name) was 80.6% (95% CI: 77.2 to 83.6) and the best result obtained using the similarity function Jaro-Winkler was 91.8% (95% CI: 89.4 to 93.9). The deterministic method has high specificity but sensitivity can be reduced by the existence of spellings and typing errors in the databases. Thus, the step-by-step approach where there was disagreement in at least one of the relationship variable can increase the sensitivity of the method and the use of similarity functions.
School of Medicine of Ribeirao Preto (FMRP), University of Sao Paulo (USP), Brazil.
Kátia Mitiko Firmino
KM
Suzuki
Carlos Humberto
CH
Porto Filho
Luís Fernando
LF
Cozin
Lucas Calabrez
LC
Pereyra
Paulo Mazzoncini
PM
de Azevedo Marques
D000465:Algorithms; D001185:Artificial Intelligence; D001938:Brazil; D057225:Data Mining / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003628:Database Management Systems / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016208:Databases, Factual / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D057286:Electronic Health Records / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008498:Medical Record Linkage; D010363:Pattern Recognition, Automated; D018875:Vocabulary, Controlled