Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-dh8gc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-14T21:24:08.912Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

4 - Data Linkages and Using Administrative and Secondary Databases

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 October 2009

Frederick P. Rivara
Affiliation:
Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center, Seattle
Peter Cummings
Affiliation:
Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center, Seattle
Thomas D. Koepsell
Affiliation:
Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center, Seattle
David C. Grossman
Affiliation:
Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center, Seattle
Ronald V. Maier
Affiliation:
Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center, Seattle
Get access

Summary

Introduction

Administrative and other databases originally created for purposes other than research are increasingly being considered for use in injury research. This is not surprising – those conducting health research or surveillance have always considered the potential uses and benefits of secondary data. This chapter attempts to provide an overview of the benefits and limitations of use of these electronic databases, categories of uses, types of databases that have been employed in injury research, and some of the methods used. It is by no means an exhaustive description of all such uses, nor is it intended as a text for conducting data linkages. Based on our experience, we have attempted to provide a framework for considering use of these databases or conducting linkages, and to raise awareness of some of the important issues that need to be considered.

For some research projects, there are several benefits associated with using administrative or secondary data. For purposes of this chapter, administrative data include data (not necessarily related to health status) routinely collected as part of the administrative operations of some organization. Examples of administrative data are drivers’ license records, employment rosters, vital records such as birth or death certificates, and insurance claims. “Secondary” databases typically encompass the administrative databases mentioned above as well as research or surveillance data that have been collected for purposes other than your own project. Issues to be discussed here that are related to data access, linkage, and use apply to both administrative and non-administrative, secondary databases and thus, the latter, more general term will be used to refer to both.

Type
Chapter
Information
Injury Control
A Guide to Research and Program Evaluation
, pp. 47 - 63
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2000

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×