Event-based record linkage in health and aged care services data: a methodological innovation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The interface between acute hospital care and residential aged care has long been recognised as an important issue in aged care services research in Australia. However, existing national data provide very poor information on the movements of clients between the two sectors. Nevertheless, there are national data sets which separately contain data on individuals' hospital episodes and stays in residential aged care, so that linking the two data sets–if feasible–would provide a valuable resource for examining relationships between the two sectors. As neither name nor common person identifiers are available on the data sets, other information needs to be used to link events relating to inter-sector movement.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Event-based matching using limited demographic data in conjunction with event dates to match events in two data sets provides a possible method for linking related events. The authors develop a statistical model for examining the likely prevalence of false matches, and consequently the number of true matches, among achieved matches when using anonymous event-based record linkage to identify transition events.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Theoretical analysis shows that for event-based matching the prevalence of false matches among achieved matches (a) declines as the events of interest become rarer, (b) declines as the number of matches increases, and (c) increases with the size of the population within which matching is taking place. The method also facilitates the examination of the trade-off between false matches and missed matches when relaxing or tightening linkage criteria.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Event-based record linkage is a method for linking related transition events using event dates and basic demographic variables (other than name or person identifier). The likely extent of false links among achieved links depends on the two event rates, the match rate and population size. Knowing these, it is possible to gauge whether, for a particular study, event-based linkage could provide a useful tool for examining movements. Analysis shows that there is a range of circumstances in which event-based record linkage could be applied to two event-level databases to generate a linked database useful for transition analysis.</p

Perinatal and Socioeconomic Risk Factors for Variable and Persistent Cognitive Delay at 24 and 48 Months of Age in a National Sample

The objective of this paper is to examine patterns of cognitive delay at 24 and 48 months and quantify the effects of perinatal and sociodemographic risk factors on persistent and variable cognitive delay. Using data from 7,200 children in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort (ECLS-B), multiple logistic regression models identified significant predictors of low cognitive functioning at 24 and 48 months. Additional multiple logistic models predicting cognitive delay at 48 months were estimated separately for children with and without delay at 24 months. Of the nearly 1,000 children delayed at 24 months, 24.2% remained delayed by 48 months; 7.9% of the children not delayed at 24 months exhibited delay at 48 months. Low and very low birthweight increased cognitive delay risk at 24, but not 48 months. Low maternal education had a strongly increasing effect (OR = 2.3 at 24 months, OR = 13.7 at 48 months), as did low family income (OR = 1.4 at 24 months, OR = 7.0 at 48 months). Among children delayed at 24 months, low maternal education predicted delay even more strongly at 48 months (OR = 30.5). Low cognitive functioning is highly dynamic from 24 to 48 months. Although gestational factors including low birthweight increase children’s risk of cognitive delay at 24 months, low maternal education and family income are more prevalent in the pediatric population and are much stronger predictors of both persistent and emerging delay between ages 24 and 48 months

Infecção de sítio cirúrgico em hospital universitário: vigilância pós-alta e fatores de risco Infección en el sitio quirúrgico en el hospital universitario: vigilancia pos alta y factores de riesgo Surgical site infection in a university hospital: post-release surveillance and risk factors

Objetivou-se determinar a incidência da Infecção do Sítio Cirúrgico (ISC) em pacientes submetidos à cirurgia do aparelho digestivo (CAD), durante a internação e após alta, verificar a ocorrência de associação entre a ISC e o tipo de cirurgia, tempo de internação, condição clínica do paciente, classificação e duração da cirurgia. Tratou-se de um estudo prospectivo e descritivo realizado em um hospital universitário de agosto de 2001 a março de 2002. De 357 pacientes sub-metidos à CAD, 64 ISC foram notificados, 16 na internação e 48 pós-alta, incidência de 4,5% e 13,9%, respectivamente. Verificou-se uma associação da ISC com o tempo de internação pré-operatório e a classificação da ferida operatória. A taxa global da ISC foi de 18,0%. Observou-se um aumento da ISC em quatro vezes quando a vigilância pós-alta foi realizada. Chama atenção que, caso a vigilância pós-alta não fosse realizada, a taxa global da ISC seria fortemente subnotificada.<br>Los objetivos del estudio fueron determinar la incidencia de infección del sitio quirúrgico (ISQ) en el hospital y después del alta, en pacientes sometidos a cirugía del sistema digestivo (CSD); y verificar la asociación entre ISQ y el tipo de cirugía, permanencia en el hospital, condición clínica del paciente, clasificación y duración del procedimiento quirúrgico. Fue un estudio prospectivo en un hospital universitario, entre agosto de 2001 y marzo de 2002. De 357 pacientes sometidos a la CSD, fueron notificadas 64 ISQ, 16 durante la hospitalización y 48 después del alta, con una incidencia de 4,5% y 13,9% respectivamente. Se verificó una asociación de la ISQ con la permanencia preoperatorio y la clasificación quirúrgica. La incidencia global fue 18,0%, registrándose así un aumento de cuatro veces en la tasa de ISQ. Así, sin la vigilancia después del alta la ISQ sería fuertemente notada.<br>The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of the Surgical Site Infection (SSI) in the hospital and after discharge in patients submitted to digestive system surgeries (SDS), and to verify the association between SSI and the type of surgery, the time of hospital internment, the patient's clinical condition, the classification of the surgical wound and the duration of the surgical procedure. It is a prospective study carried out at a university hospital between August of 2001 and March of 2002. Of 357 patients submitted to SDS, 64 SSI cases were notified - 16 in the hospital and 48 after discharge, incidences of 4.5% and 13.9% respectively. It was verified an association of SSI with the preoperative stay in hospital and with the classification of the surgical wound. The global incidence of SSI was 18.0%, and there was a four-fold increase when the post-discharge surveillance was carried out. In consequence, it can be concluded that if the post-discharge surveillance is not conducted the global SSI incidence would be strongly undernotified

Validation of the Pictorial Infant Communication Scale for preschool-aged children with autism spectrum disorder

Joint attention, or the shared focus of attention between objects or events and a social partner, is a crucial milestone in the development of social communication and a notable area of deficit in children with autism spectrum disorder. While valid parent-report screening measures of social communication are available, the majority of these measures are designed to assess a wide range of behaviors. Targeted assessment of joint attention and related skills is primarily limited to semi-structured, examiner-led interactions, which are time-consuming and laborious to score. The Pictorial Infant Communication Scale is an efficient parent-report measure of joint attention that can be used as a complement to structured assessments in fully characterizing early social communication development. This study examined the psychometric properties of the Pictorial Infant Communication Scale. Results revealed a high degree of internal consistency and strong intercorrelations between subscales. Additionally, confirmatory factor analysis supported a three-factor model of joint attention. Furthermore, significant correlations between the Pictorial Infant Communication Scale and direct clinical measures of child joint attention, language skills, and autism spectrum disorder symptom severity were suggestive of concurrent validity. Findings suggest that the Pictorial Infant Communication Scale is a promising tool for measuring joint attention skills in preschool-aged children with autism spectrum disorder

Vocal Patterns in Infants with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Canonical Babbling Status and Vocalization Frequency

Canonical babbling is a critical milestone for speech development and is usually well in place by 10 months. The possibility that infants with ASD show late onset of canonical babbling has so far eluded evaluation. Rate of vocalization or “volubility” has also been suggested as possibly aberrant in infants with ASD. We conducted a retrospective video study examining vocalizations of 37 infants at 9–12 and 15–18 months. Twenty-three of the 37 infants were later diagnosed with ASD and indeed produced low rates of canonical babbling and low volubility by comparison with the 14 typically developing infants. The study thus supports suggestions that very early vocal patterns may prove to be a useful component of early screening and diagnosis of ASD