title: Two approaches to linking census and hospital data.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study compares registry and non-registry approaches to linking 2006 Census of Population data for Manitoba and Ontario to hospital data from the Discharge Abstract Database (DAD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Using a probabilistic linkage, the registry approach linked the census data to provincial health insurance registries, followed by a deterministic linkage to the DAD based on health insurance number (HIN). The non-registry approach used hierarchical deterministic exact matching based on three variables common to both files to link census data to the DAD. The approaches were compared in terms of linkage and coverage rates, sensitivity and specificity, and consistency of HINs on the linked records.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results of the registry and non-registry linkage approaches were similar. In Manitoba, 7% and 6% of census long-form respondents linked to the DAD with the registry and non-registry linkage approaches, respectively; in Ontario, the linkage rate was 5% for both approaches. With the registry approach, the linked census-DAD data represented 84% (weighted) of hospital admissions in the 2006/2007 DAD in both provinces, compared with 82% in Manitoba and Ontario with the non-registry approach.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the absence of access to provincial health insurance registries with which census data can be linked, a non-registry approach can be used to create a research-quality dataset.
authors.affiliation: Health Analysis Division, Statistics Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1A0T6.
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rotermann
authors.affiliation: Health Analysis Division, Statistics Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1A0T6.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sanmartin
authors.affiliation: Health Analysis Division, Statistics Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1A0T6.
authors.forename: Gisèle
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Carrière
authors.affiliation: Health Statistics Division, Statistics Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1A0T6.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Trudeau
authors.affiliation: Household Survey Methods Division, Statistics Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1A0T6.
authors.forename: Hélène
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: St-Jean
authors.affiliation: Household Survey Methods Division, Statistics Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1A0T6.
authors.forename: Abdelnasser
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saïdi
authors.affiliation: Household Survey Methods Division, Statistics Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1A0T6.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Reicker
authors.affiliation: Household Survey Methods Division, Statistics Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1A0T6.
authors.forename: Aimé
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ntwari
authors.affiliation: Household Survey Methods Division, Statistics Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1A0T6.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hortop
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002170:Canada; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003219:Confidentiality; D016208:Databases, Factual / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007345:Insurance Claim Review / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008498:Medical Record Linkage / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D008875:Middle Aged; D010351:Patient Discharge / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012042:Registries / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Coverage; data collection; data linkage; databases; hospital records; medical records; meta-analysis