Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco
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Comparative Study
Validating smoking data from the Veteran's Affairs Health Factors dataset, an electronic data source.
We assessed smoking data from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) electronic medical record (EMR) Health Factors dataset. ⋯ Based on kappa statistics, agreement between the EMR Health Factors and survey sources is substantial. Identification of current smokers nationally within the VHA can be used in future studies to track smoking status over time, to evaluate smoking interventions, and to adjust for smoking status in research. Our methodology may provide insights for other organizations seeking to use EMR data for accurate determination of smoking status.