Collaborative Methods Foster Better Data: Insights From a Suicide Data Linkage Project in North Carolina

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Data Science
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Linking surveillance data is crucial for public health.
• Traditional methods for data linkage can be outdated and less reliable.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare a traditional data linkage method with a newer collaborative approach in North Carolina.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of linking Hospital Discharge Data (HDD) and the NC Violent Death Reporting System (NC-VDRS) data.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Link Plus and Match*Pro software for data linkage.
• Compared a traditional linkage process with a collaborative approach involving subject matter experts.

Main Results:

• The collaborative approach using Match*Pro yielded fewer matches requiring manual review.
• 44% of unique suicides (n=599) linked to HDD had prior hospitalizations, highlighting the value of linked data.
• Collaborative linkage improved case adjudication and partner collaboration.

Conclusions:

• A collaborative approach to linking surveillance data is superior to traditional methods.
• Innovation in public health data linkage fosters trust, consensus, and efficiency.
• This enhanced process leads to more reliable data for public health surveillance.