Linkage of health and aged care service events: comparing linkage and event selection methods
2008

Linking Health and Aged Care Service Events

Sample size: 105706 publication 15 minutes Evidence: high

Author Information

Author(s): Karmel Rosemary, Rosman Diana

Primary Institution: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

Hypothesis

Can event-based linkage methods effectively identify transition events between hospital and aged care services?

Conclusion

The study found that an event-based linkage strategy can effectively identify transitions from hospital to residential aged care, although it may underestimate the actual volume of movement.

Supporting Evidence

  • Over 97% of event-based links matched those selected using person-based linkage.
  • Event-based linkage identified 6693 matches, with a positive predictive value of 97.7%.
  • The study highlighted the importance of accurate event dates and demographic data for effective linkage.

Takeaway

This study shows how we can connect information about people moving from hospitals to aged care homes, helping us understand their journeys better.

Methodology

The study compared two linkage strategies: a person-based linkage and an event-based linkage for identifying transitions from hospital to aged care.

Potential Biases

Potential for false positives and negatives due to similar demographic data among individuals.

Limitations

The event-based method underestimated the volume of movement by about 10% and may miss some transitions due to data inconsistencies.

Participant Demographics

Older adults aged 65 and over in Western Australia.

Statistical Information

P-Value

0.0001

Confidence Interval

95%

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1472-6963-8-149

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