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Large-scale, population-based epidemiological studies with record linkage can be done in Germany
Ulrich Ronellenfitsch1, Catherine Kyobutungi, Heiko Becher
1Department of Tropical Hygiene and Public Health, University of Heidelberg, Germany. Ulrich.Ronellenfitsch@urz.uni-heidelberg.de
European Journal of Epidemiology
|February 1, 2005
Abstract:
Record linkage is an invaluable tool for many epidemiological studies. So far, however, in Europe it has mainly been used in Scandinavian countries with nationwide registration systems. Using the example of a large retrospective cohort study among migrants, we show that this method is also feasible in Germany, a country without central registries and unique identification numbers for citizens.