Validation of the PTAC Database for Patient Transfers in Ontario
Author Information
Author(s): Victoria A Robinson, Russell D MacDonald, Doug Manuel, Vivek Goel
Primary Institution: University of Toronto
Hypothesis
The PTAC database is a valid source of data for inter-facility patient transfers in Ontario.
Conclusion
The high level of agreement between institutional patient records and the PTAC data supports the validity of the PTAC database.
Supporting Evidence
- 95% of the institutional patient records were located for validation.
- Accuracy rates for the 10 consistently used data variables ranged from 85.3% to 100%.
- Sensitivity values for all variables ranged from 0.87 to 1.0.
Takeaway
Researchers checked 100 patient transfer records to see if the information matched with hospital records, and they found that most of the time it did.
Methodology
A random sample of 100 patient inter-facility transfer records was compared to corresponding institutional patient records to assess accuracy and sensitivity.
Potential Biases
Data collection relied on front-line medical workers, which may introduce variability.
Limitations
Some data variables were not consistently recorded, leading to missing information.
Participant Demographics
The study involved patient transfers within Ontario's healthcare system, covering a population of twelve million.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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