This project was commissioned by The Wellcome Trust on behalf of the Public Health Research Data Forum. The project aimed to identify the gains to public health research from linking existing data sources, the opportunities in and barriers to such data linking, and how the barriers could be overcome. The objective was to deliver a set of practical recommendations for realising the gains from data linkage. ‘Data linkage’ is broadly taken to be the linkage of health data within and across organisations, and as well as linkage between different data sources such as hospital admissions, cancer registries, and socio-economic surveys. 

The national E-Health strategy developed by Deloitte, together with key stakeholders, provides an appropriate basis to guide the further development of E-Health in Australia. 

The national E-Health strategy developed by Deloitte, together with key stakeholders, provides an appropriate basis to guide the further development of E-Health in Australia. 

Studies involving the use of probabilistic record linkage are becoming increasingly common. However, the methods underpinning probabilistic record linkage are not widely taught or understood, and therefore these studies can appear to be a ‘black box’ research tool. In this article, we aim to describe the process of probabilistic record linkage through a simple exemplar. We first introduce the concept of deterministic linkage and contrast this with probabilistic linkage. We illustrate each step of the process using a simple exemplar and describe the data structure required to perform a probabilistic linkage. We describe the process of calculating and interpreting matched weights and how to convert matched weights into posterior probabilities of a match using Bayes theorem. We conclude this article with a brief discussion of some of the computational demands of record linkage, how you might assess the quality of your linkage algorithm, and how epidemiologists can maximize the value of their record-linked research using robust record linkage methods.

This privacy fact sheet provides the text of the 13 APPs from Schedule 1 of the Privacy Amendment (Enhancing Privacy Protection) Act 2012, which amends the Privacy Act 1988. For the latest versions of these Acts visit the ComLaw website: www.comlaw.gov.au.

This privacy fact sheet provides the text of the 13 APPs from Schedule 1 of the Privacy Amendment (Enhancing Privacy Protection) Act 2012, which amends the Privacy Act 1988. For the latest versions of these Acts visit the ComLaw website: www.comlaw.gov.au.

The eHealth Strategy for NSW Health 2016–2026 has been developed to guide NSW to deliver world‑class, eHealth‑enabled healthcare services across the State over the next decade.

The eHealth Strategy for NSW Health 2016–2026 has been developed to guide NSW to deliver world‑class, eHealth‑enabled healthcare services across the State over the next decade.

This paper includes information about access rates, with the aim of promoting greater transparency about the use of research assets and the release of administrative data to enable research. It also addresses timelines and planned drivers of improvement because delays in accessing linked administrative data appear to be common internationally (but the literature is largely anecdotal).1,2 See Box 1 for an overview.

The federal government is set to spend A$485 million to rescue Australia’s failed personalised electronic health record project. All Australians will be set up with a record and can opt out, in contrast to the previous system where patients opted in. The new system, called myHealth Records, will be revised according to the recommendations of a report commissioned by the former health minister Peter Dutton in 2013.