Bmc Med Res Methodol
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Bmc Med Res Methodol · Jan 2013
Trauma registry record linkage: methodological approach to benefit from complementary data using the example of the German Pelvic Injury Register and the TraumaRegister DGU(®).
In Germany, hospitals can deliver data from patients with pelvic fractures selectively or twofold to two different trauma registries, i.e. the German Pelvic Injury Register (PIR) and the TraumaRegister DGU(®) (TR). Both registers are anonymous and differ in composition and content. We describe the methodological approach of linking these registries and reidentifying twofold documented patients. The aim of the approach is to create an intersection set that benefit from complementary data of each registry, respectively. Furthermore, the concordance of data entry of some clinical variables entered in both registries was evaluated. ⋯ Individually, the PIR and the TR reflect a valid source for documenting injured patients, although the data reflect the emphasis of the particular registry. Linking the two registries enabled new insights into care of multiple-trauma patients with pelvic fractures even when linkage rates were poor. Future considerations and development of the registries should be done in close bilateral consultation with the aim of benefiting from complementary data and improving data concordance. It is also conceivable to integrate individual modules, e.g. a pelvic fracture module, into the TR likewise a modular system in the future.
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Bmc Med Res Methodol · Jan 2013
Statistical process control of mortality series in the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society (ANZICS) adult patient database: implications of the data generating process.
Statistical process control (SPC), an industrial sphere initiative, has recently been applied in health care and public health surveillance. SPC methods assume independent observations and process autocorrelation has been associated with increase in false alarm frequency. ⋯ The data generating process of monthly raw mortality series at the ICU level displayed autocorrelation, seasonality and volatility. False-positive signalling of the raw mortality series was evident with respect to RA-EWMA control limits. A time series approach using residual control charts resolved these issues.