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Data linkage in pharmacoepidemiology: A call for rigorous evaluation and reporting.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Pratt, NL; Mack, CD; Meyer, AM; Davis, KJ; Hammill, BG; Hampp, C; Setoguchi, S; Raman, SR; Chun, DS; Stürmer, T; Lund, JL
Published in: Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf
January 2020

PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to provide guidance on the evaluation of data linkage quality through the development of a checklist for reporting key elements of the linkage process. METHODS: Responding to a call for manuscripts from the International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology (ISPE), a working group including international representation from the academic, industry, and contract research, and regulatory sectors was formed to develop a checklist for evaluation of data linkage performance and reporting data linkage specifically for pharmacoepidemiologic research. This checklist expands on the reporting of studies conducted using observational routinely collected health data specific to pharmacoepidemiology (RECORD-PE) guidelines. RESULTS: A key aspect of data linkage evaluation for pharmacoepidemiology is to articulate how a linkage process was performed and its accuracy in terms of validation and verification of the resulting linked data. This study generates a checklist, which covers domains including data sources, linkage variables, linkage methods, linkage results, and linkage evaluation. For each domain, specific recommendations provide a clear and transparent assessment of the linkage process. CONCLUSIONS: Linking data sources can help to enrich analytic databases to more accurately define study populations, enable adjustment for confounding, and improve the capture of health outcomes. Clear and transparent reporting of data linkage processes will help to increase confidence in the evidence generated from these data by allowing researchers and end users to critically assess the potential for bias owing to the data linkage process.

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Published In

Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf

DOI

EISSN

1099-1557

Publication Date

January 2020

Volume

29

Issue

1

Start / End Page

9 / 17

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Research Design
  • Quality Improvement
  • Pharmacology & Pharmacy
  • Pharmacoepidemiology
  • Information Storage and Retrieval
  • Humans
  • Checklist
  • 4202 Epidemiology
  • 3214 Pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences
  • 1117 Public Health and Health Services
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
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Pratt, N. L., Mack, C. D., Meyer, A. M., Davis, K. J., Hammill, B. G., Hampp, C., … Lund, J. L. (2020). Data linkage in pharmacoepidemiology: A call for rigorous evaluation and reporting. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf, 29(1), 9–17. https://doi.org/10.1002/pds.4924
Pratt, Nicole L., Christina D. Mack, Anne Marie Meyer, Kourtney J. Davis, Bradley G. Hammill, Christian Hampp, Soko Setoguchi, et al. “Data linkage in pharmacoepidemiology: A call for rigorous evaluation and reporting.Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf 29, no. 1 (January 2020): 9–17. https://doi.org/10.1002/pds.4924.
Pratt NL, Mack CD, Meyer AM, Davis KJ, Hammill BG, Hampp C, et al. Data linkage in pharmacoepidemiology: A call for rigorous evaluation and reporting. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2020 Jan;29(1):9–17.
Pratt, Nicole L., et al. “Data linkage in pharmacoepidemiology: A call for rigorous evaluation and reporting.Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf, vol. 29, no. 1, Jan. 2020, pp. 9–17. Pubmed, doi:10.1002/pds.4924.
Pratt NL, Mack CD, Meyer AM, Davis KJ, Hammill BG, Hampp C, Setoguchi S, Raman SR, Chun DS, Stürmer T, Lund JL. Data linkage in pharmacoepidemiology: A call for rigorous evaluation and reporting. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2020 Jan;29(1):9–17.

Published In

Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf

DOI

EISSN

1099-1557

Publication Date

January 2020

Volume

29

Issue

1

Start / End Page

9 / 17

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Research Design
  • Quality Improvement
  • Pharmacology & Pharmacy
  • Pharmacoepidemiology
  • Information Storage and Retrieval
  • Humans
  • Checklist
  • 4202 Epidemiology
  • 3214 Pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences
  • 1117 Public Health and Health Services