Linking Health Records for Population Health Research in Brazil.

Cláudia Medina Coeli

Instituto de Estudos em Saúde Coletiva/Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro

Over the last decades, national health databases containing records on deaths, live births, hospital admissions and ambulatory care have become available in Brazil. These databases—particularly when linked—hold great potential for epidemiological and health services research, health surveillance, and policy-making support. Although plans are underway to implement a health insurance number in Brazil, a common unique identifier is not yet available in national health databases, making it more challenging to link one set of records to another. The presentation will outline our team’s experiences in developing and using probabilistic record linkage methodologies in the Brazilian context, covering topics related to record linkage techniques, accuracy and privacy. Examples of research projects using linked health data for questions on maternal-child health will be presented.