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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1976

Pyloric stenosis in the Oxford Record Linkage Study area.

The files of the Oxford Record Linkage Study were employed to identify 220 infants presenting with infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis (IHPS) in the 6-year period 1966 to 1971. Information on these infants was obtained from birth certificates and maternity notes. The overall incidence was 2.5 per 1000 livebirths. There was a distinct seasonal variation, with highest incidence to infants born in the third quarter of the year as well as variation in incidence with area: the cities had much lower rates of IHPS than the adjacent rural or small urban areas. It was shown that the rates in the south and east of the area studied were far greater than in the north and west. In the present study there was no excess of primiparae, the peak maternal age group was 20 to 24; there was a slight excess of parents of social classes I and II; and a significant association with mothers who were Rhesus negative. The rate of IHPS among sibs was 85 per 1000. Though there was the usual correlation with the male sex (M:F ratio = 5.5:1), there was no variation with birthweight and only among the females was an association found with prolonged gestation. There appeared to be an inverse relation between gestation and age on admission to hospital.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Follow-up of vasectomy using medical record linkage.

The authors report the findings from an on-going of 1764 vasectomized men followed up by means of the Scottish medical record linkage system for a total of 4500 man-years after operation. The authors view the results so far as reassuring regarding the safety of vasectomy, although the mean length of follow-up (2.6 years) is still short. The study will continue. Some features of this method of follow-up are described and discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Record linkage and the identification of long-term environmental hazards.

The long-term effects of toxic substances in man that have been discovered so far have involved gross relative risks or bizarre effects, or have stumbled upon by chance or because of special circumstances. These facts and some recent epidemiological evidence together suggest that a systematic approach with better methods would reveal the effects of many more toxic substances, particularly in manufacturing industry. Record linkage is a powerful tool because it makes possible the correlation of indicators of exposure with indicators of the biological effect of such exposure in the same persons or in their progeny even after considerable periods of time have elapsed. A system of linked records exists in England and Wales which is at present used by research workers to follow up samples of persons defined in various ways, e.g. in respect of exposure to a suspected toxic factor. In this way hypotheses about substances causing cancer or other lethal effects can be tested. It is suggested that there are two additional ways in which record linkage techniques could be used to identify substances with long-term toxic effects: the first would be by setting up a register of women employed in industry during pregnancy and linking this register to records of the occurrence of congenital malformations and of stillbirth or death in their children; the second would be to follow samples of workers in manufacturing industry, notably those engaged in the manufacture of products from raw materials including the chemical industry, to death and to the development of cancer. Regular analyses of material from these two systems of linked records would provide the basis for a monitoring system for certain gross effects of long-term toxic substances in man. There are two principal obstacles to further progress in this field. The first is the lack of a clear statement of public policy concerning the issues of confidentiality and informed consent in the use of identifiable personal records for medical research. A settlement is needed which defines the proper limits of their use in the interests of health with safeguards to privacy. The second obstacle is a lack of resources to improve the quality, accessibility and organization of the appropriate data.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

Anencephalus in the Oxford Record Linkage Study area.

The incidence of anencephalus in the largely rural areas of Oxfordshire and west Berkshire from 1965 to 1972 was ascertained from the files of the Oxford Record Linkage Study as 1-49 per 1000 total births. There was little variation within the area, but there was a marked increase in incidence over the eight years of the study. There was a slight seasonal variation, with an excess of conceptions in the first two quarters of the year, a slight excess of births to primiparous women and to women aged between 20 and 24 years. There was an increase in incidence with falling social class, with a significant excess of fathers who were printers, painters and decorators, transport drivers or in the armed forces. Among 115 siblings, 11 (9-6 per cent) had defects of the central nervous system, and the incidence of anencephalus among twins was twice as high as expected.

Abortion, Spontaneous↗
PubMed1979

A method of record linkage.

In cancer epidemiology, prospective approaches are very important both in testing etiological hypotheses and in evaluating preventive procedures. Prospective studies, however, are very difficult and expensive, because a large number of people and a long period of observation are necessary for a satisfactory study. As a data source for follow-up studies, population-based cancer registry is very useful. The Osaka Cancer Registry has been in operation since December, 1962. Since 1968 the data processing, including the work of collation, has been semicomputerized. In order to identify cancer patients, we use the following six indices: date of birth, first Chinese character of a person's family name, address a: city, ward, town or village, address b: further details. i.e., street, avenue, section, hamlet etc., site, and sex. When we have data on the collation indices for the subjects to be followed up, we can conduct follow-up studies easily and accurately, using a semicomputerized collation method similar to that in the cancer registration system. Because the master file of the Osaka Cancer Registry contains the data of cancer cases reported and all cancer deaths among the residents of Osaka Prefecture, we can follow up the subjects living in Osaka Prefecture and obtain data about vitually all cancer incidences and deaths among them. In this follow-up method by means of record linkage to the cancer registry, some considerations should be taken into account for the following factors; coverage of cancer data in the Osaka Cancer Registry, reliability of the collation method, and address of the subjects to be followed up. As an example of a study with this method, we present the follow-up study of the screenees of a mass screening program for stomach cancer.

Computers↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Women who obtain repeat abortions: a study based on record linkage.

The proportion of induced abortions in a year that are repeat procedures rises over time, but this rate is as low as can be expected given the shortcomings of currently available contraceptives. There is no evidence that women substitute abortion for contraception. Teenagers and poor women have greater difficulty avoiding unwanted pregnancies.

Abortion, Induced↗
PubMed1977

Repeat abortion in Denmark: an analysis based on national record linkage.

The abortion registration system maintained by the Danish government permits an analysis of abortion incidence by individual. Using computer techniques to sort all the abortion records for the 15-month period from October 1973, when the abortion law was liberalized, through December 1974, it has been possible to determine the rate of repeat abortion and some demographic variables associated with it. Of the women who experienced induced abortion in the period under study, 2.92 percent had more than one abortion. Repeat abortion was found to be more frequent among women aged 20-34 and among women with a greater number of pregnancies, live births, and induced abortions prior to the change in law. A higher rate of repeat abortion was observed in urban areas. The overall rate of repeat abortion is consistent with a high level of contraceptive effectiveness.

Abortion, Induced↗
PubMed1976

Obstetric practice in the Oxford Record Linkage Study Area 1965-72.

The secular trends in induction in 111 818 births over eight years in the largely rural areas of Oxfordshire and west Berkshire were analysed. Although the induction rate started to rise only in 1969, the forceps and episiotomy rates had been increasing throughout, but both procedures were always twice as prevalent in induced as in non-induced cases. The proportion of women given an anaesthetic was also consistently higher in induced cases, but that of women with long labours fell considerably over the period. The reduction in stillbirth rate was more apparent in induced than in non-induced births.

Anesthesia↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Death after legally induced abortion. A comprehensive approach for determination of abortion-related deaths based on record linkage.

The sources for determination of abortion-related deaths in Georgia are the cause of death listed on the death certificate and reports from informal reporting channels. Although Georgia residents 10-44 years of age obtained 19,877 induced abortions in 1975, no deaths related to abortion were found through these two usual sources. To determine the sensitivity of this system, all abortion certificates for 1975 were compared with all death certificates of Georgia females aged 10-44 who died in 1975 and the first 2 months of 1976. Based on the age and racial distribution of the women who received abortions, approximately 13 deaths (from all causes) would be expected to have subsequently occurred during the period of time studied. The authors found only 10. From national death-to-case rates for legal abortion, the expected number actually atrributable to abortion was 0.78 death. Of the 10 deaths, 2 were potentially related to the previous abortion, but a causal relationship to the preceding abortion was not clearly evident for any of the 10 deaths. The data, therefore, tend to support the assertion that no large numbers of deaths related to abortion are undiscovered and that current measurements of abortion mortality are accurate.

Abortion, Legal↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Completeness and accuracy of reporting induced abortions performed in Hawaii's hospitals, 1970--74.

This study examined the completeness and accuracy of reporting induced abortions to the official agency by following up documented cases of abortions performed in hospitals in Hawaii for the years 1970--74. The following two sets of records were initially linked by computer on the basis of first name, maiden name, date of the event, age, and ethnic background: (a) a total of 18,531 induced abortions ascertained in hospitals with complete linking information and (b) official fetal death and live birth records filed at the State health department. Overall, 96.1 percent of the hospital abortions were matched in the official certificates. Of 17,550 abortions classified as elective, 98.7 percent were so recorded in the certificate file, whereas the remainder were reported as mostly either therapeutic or unknown for cause of fetal death. When the probability of matches for those abortions without complete linking information and possible errors in the information were considered, the estimates of underreporting to the health department were a maximum of 3.9 percent and a minimum of 1.2 percent; the mean value was 2.6 percent. The extent of underreporting of induced abortions is becoming serious with the widespread practice of abortion procedures in nonhospital institutions in recent years. The results of the study also demonstrated the utility of the record-linkage process in checking data for completeness and accuracy or studying separate vital events on the same persons.

Abortion, Induced↗
PubMed1976

Study of disease associations from linked records.

Comparisons are made between the principal diagnosis on discharge from hospital in successive periods of inpatient care for persons in the Oxford Record Linkage Study area admitted over a period of years. The observed numbers of pairs of diagnoses are compared with expected numbers computed to take account of the discharge rates in the population by age and sex and the number of man years of exposure. Three topics have been selected to display some of the types of analysis possible with the very extensive material: mental disorder and diseases of the central nervous system, hospital discharges preceding those for neoplasm, and discharges following those for tuberculosis. The details of the method of calculation of the observed and expected numbers and the assumptions and approximations involved are given in an Appendix.

Breast Neoplasms↗