Proporção de casos nosocomiais de COVID-19 no Brasil: análise de seus fatores associados em 1.631.47 registros de 2020 a 2022 / Proporción de casos nosocomiales de COVID-19 en Brasil: análisis de sus factores asociados en 1.631.47 registros de 2020 a 2022 / Proportionof nosocomial cases of COVID-19 in Brazil: analysisof1.631.47 case records from 2020 to 2022

Introdução: Infecções nosocomiais, adquiridas após a internação hospitalar, são o evento adverso mais comum que ameaça a saúde dos pacientes hospitalizados, sendo a pneumonia, incluindo a causada pelo SARS-Cov-2, responsável por mais de 80% das infecções nosocomiais. A pandemia declarada pela OMS em março de 2020 reflete o rápido aumento de casos, impulsionado pela disseminação do vírus através de gotículas e aerossóis. A transmissão nosocomial do SARS-Cov-2 foi observada desde o início do surto em Wuhan, representando um desafio adicional na qualidade de vida dos pacientes. Estudos internacionais em hospitais reportam incidências de infecção nosocomial por COVID-19 entre 11% e 44%.Objetivo: Identificar a proporção de infecção nosocomial por SARS-COV-2 no Brasil entre março de 2020 até dezembro de 2022.Metodologia:Trata-se de um estudo analítico, retrospectivo, de corte transversal, sobre a proporção de infecção nosocomial por Sars-Cov-2 no Brasil, através de dados secundários oriundos do Sistema de Informação da Vigilância Epidemiológica da Gripe. No presente estudo a variável dependente analisada foi a proporção de infecção nosocomial por Sars-cov-2. Como variáveis independentes exploratórias foram utilizadas: faixa etária, sexo, comorbidades e macrorregião de residência. Resultados: O estudo identificou uma proporção de casos nosocomiais de 2,58%, sendo maior no terceiro ano da pandemia 2022 (5,5%) na região Norte (7,57%), entre os indivíduos de 18-59 anos de idade (6,93%)Conclusões: Este estudo sobre casos nosocomiais de COVID-19 no Brasil revela uma proporção de 2,58% entre 2020 e 2022, com associações identificadas em relação à região, idade e comorbidades. Diferenças em relação a estudos internacionais sugerem questões metodológicas específicas. Essa pesquisa é de importância crítica, visto ser de abrangência nacional com grande amplitude, e estabelece uma base sólida para futuros estudos epidemiológicos (AU).

Introduction: Nosocomial infections, acquired after hospital admission, are the most common adverse events threatening patient health, with pneumonia, including that caused by SARS-CoV-2, responsible for over 80% of nosocomial infections. The pandemic declared by the WHO in March 2020 reflects the rapid rise in cases driven by the virus's spread through droplets and aerosols. Nosocomial transmission of SARS-CoV-2 has been observed since the outbreak's onset in Wuhan, posing an additional challenge to patient quality of life. International hospital studies report nosocomial COVID-19 infection rates between 11% and 44%. Objective: Identifying the proportion of nosocomial SARS-CoV-2 infection in Brazil between March 2020 and December 2022.Methodology:This is an analytical, retrospective, cross-sectional study on the proportion of nosocomial SARS-CoV-2 infection in Brazil, using secondary data from the Influenza Epidemiological Surveillance Information System. In this study, the analyzed dependent variable was the proportionof nosocomial SARS-CoV-2 infection. The exploratory independent variables included: age group, gender, comorbidities, and macro-region of residence.Results:The study identified a proportion of nosocomial cases of 2.58%, with a higher proportion in the third year of the pandemic, 2022 (5.5%) in the North region (7.57%), among individuals aged 18-59 years (6.93%). Conclusions: This study on nosocomial cases of COVID-19 in Brazil reveals a proportion of 2.58% between 2020 and 2022, with associations identified regarding region, age, and comorbidities. Differences compared to international studies suggest specific methodological issues. This research is of critical importance, given its national scope and broad coverage, and establishes a solid foundation for future epidemiological studies (AU).

Introducción: Las infecciones nosocomiales, adquiridas tras la hospitalización, son el evento adverso más común que amenaza la salud de los pacientes hospitalizados, siendo la neumonía, incluida la causada por el SARS-Cov-2, la responsable de más del 80% de las infecciones. La pandemia declarada por la OMS en marzo de 2020 refleja el rápido aumento de casos, impulsado por la propagación del virus a través de gotitas y aerosoles. La transmisión nosocomial del SRAS-Cov-2 se ha observado desde el inicio del brote en Wuhan, lo que supone un reto adicional para la calidad de vida de los pacientes. Estudios internacionales realizados en hospitales informan de incidencias de infecciones nosocomiales por COVID-19 de entre el 11% y el 44%. Objetivo: Identificar la proporción de infección nosocomial por SARS-CoV-2 en Brasil entre marzo de 2020 y diciembre de 2022. Metodología: Se trata de un estudio analítico, retrospectivo y transversal sobre la proporción de infección nosocomial por SARS-CoV -2 en Brasil, utilizando datos secundarios del Sistema de Información de Vigilancia Epidemiológica de Influenza. La variable dependiente analizada fue la proporción de infección nosocomial por SARS-CoV-2. Como variables independientes exploratorias se utilizaron: grupo de edad, sexo, comorbilidades y macrorregión de residencia. Resultados:El estudio identificó una proporción de casos nosocomiales del 2,58%, siendo mayor en el tercer año de la pandemia de 2022 (5,5%) en la región Norte (7,57%), entre individuos de 18 a 59 años (6,93%). Conclusiones:Este estudio de casos de COVID-19 hospitalizados en Brasil revela una proporción de 2,58% entre 2020 y 2022, con asociaciones identificadas en relación a la región, edad y comorbilidades. Las disparidades en relación a estudios internacionales sugieren la presencia de cuestiones metodológicas específicas. Esta investigación es de extrema importancia para orientar estrategias preventivas y mejorar el control de las infecciones hospitalarias (AU).

Introducción al Capítulo III: El consentimiento informado en la era digital: Desafíos éticos y tecnológicos en medicina e investigación / Introduction to Chapter III: Informed consent in the digital age: Ethical and technological challenges in medicine and research

El consentimiento (CI) es un proceso dinámico y continuo en el cual la progresión de la información se establece mediante un diálogo esclarecedor entre las partes interesadas. Este, se basa en el respeto mutuo entre los profesionales y los pacientes o los posibles participantes en una investigación. (COPILOT IA, 2024) Numerosos tratados de ética médica y de investigación, publicados en libros, conferencias y medios electrónicos, abordan los distintos modelos, usos y metodologías para obtener y proporcionar un consentimiento informado. Si en la actualidad buscamos el término 'consentimiento informado' en Google, obtenemos más de 32.000.000 de resultados en varios idiomas. Esto demuestra que el tema se discute ampliamente en distintos ámbitos y desde diferentes perspectivas, lo que puede ayudarnos a comprender el proceso con mayor profundidad. En la era digital, el uso del consentimiento informado ha cobrado gran relevancia, especialmente en el ámbito de la investigación. Las herramientas digitales facilitan que los pacientes comprendan los detalles de una intervención y acepten mediante su firma electrónica. Sin embargo, resulta crucial garantizar que el contenido no se altere después de la firma y que el documento pueda recuperarse para demostrar autenticidad e integridad. (AU)

Implementation of a Web-Based Communication System for Primary Care Providers and Cancer Specialists.

Healthcare providers have reported challenges with coordinating care for patients with cancer. Digital technology tools have brought new possibilities for improving care coordination. A web- and text-based asynchronous system (eOncoNote) was implemented in Ottawa, Canada for cancer specialists and primary care providers (PCPs). This study aimed to examine PCPs' experiences of implementing eOncoNote and how access to the system influenced communication between PCPs and cancer specialists. As part of a larger study, we collected and analyzed system usage data and administered an end-of-discussion survey to understand the perceived value of using eOncoNote. eOncoNote data were analyzed for 76 shared patients (33 patients receiving treatment and 43 patients in the survivorship phase). Thirty-nine percent of the PCPs responded to the cancer specialist's initial eOncoNote message and nearly all of those sent only one message. Forty-five percent of the PCPs completed the survey. Most PCPs reported no additional benefits of using eOncoNote and emphasized the need for electronic medical record (EMR) integration. Over half of the PCPs indicated that eOncoNote could be a helpful service if they had questions about a patient. Future research should examine opportunities for EMR integration and whether additional interventions could support communication between PCPs and cancer specialists.

Potencialidades e limitações do Prontuário Eletrônico do Cidadão (PEC) enquanto ferramenta de gestão de cuidado e planejamento: avaliação a nível nacional e local / Potentials and limitations of the Electronic Citizen Record (PEC) as a care management and planning tool: assessment at national and local level

O objetivo desse estudo foi analisar as potencialidade e limitações do Prontuário Eletrônico do Cidadão (PEC) e comparar com os indicadores assistenciais de saúde bucal da Atenção Básica a nível nacional e de um município no interior do estado da Paraíba. A coleta de dados foi dividida em dois momentos: primeiro foram coletadas informações dos relatórios do e-SUS PEC presentes no site eletrônico e-Gestor do Departamento da Atenção Básica do Ministério da Saúde, referentes às equipes de saúde bucal das USF e em seguida a aplicação de um questionário estruturado para avaliar a aceitação, a facilidade e o uso do Prontuário Eletrônico do Cidadão (PEC) pelos cirurgiões dentistas cadastrados no município. Nos resultados, as regiões do Norte e Nordeste apresentaram os menores coeficientes de resolutividade (46,6 e 50,6) e com maior cobertura de primeira consulta odontológica (9,5 e 9,3), entretanto com maiores valores para exodontias (14,2 e 13,1); quanto à proporção de procedimentos preventivos observados, nota-se que o grau de priorização de cuidados de prevenção é alto em todas as regiões. Em nível local foram observadas variações significativas entre as USF; quanto ao uso do PEC 73,1% concordam que encontram mais rápido o prontuário no formato eletrônico e 61,5% concordam que o PEC otimiza seu processo de trabalho, já em relação ao manuseio do sistema 76,9% concordaram ser fácil. Portanto, existe uma disparidade de primeira consulta odontológica com a conclusão dos tratamentos e apesar de ser alta a cobertura de primeiro atendimento, mesmo assim, não é suficiente para evitar agravos dos problemas de saúde bucal, bem como o PEC é uma importante ferramenta que proporciona melhor assistência ao paciente, auxilia no atendimento, ajuda no planejamento de cuidados em saúde, facilita o acesso de dados (AU).

The objective of this study was to analyze and compare the potentialities and limitations of the Citizen's Electronic Record (PEC) with the oral health care indicators of Primary Care at national level and of a municipality in the interior of the state of Paraíba. Data collection will take place in two stages: first, information will be collected from the e-SUS PEC reports present on the e-Gestor website of the Department of Primary Care of the Ministry of Health, referring to the USF oral health teams, and then to application of a specific and objective questionnaire to assess acceptance, ease and use of the Citizen's Electronic Record (PEC) by dentists registered in the municipality. The results show that the Northeast and North have the lowest resolubility coefficients (46.6 and 50.6) and the highest coverage of the first dental appointment (9.5 and 9.3), however with higher values for extractions (14.2 and 13.1); as for the proportion of preventive procedures observed, it is noted that the degree of prioritization of preventive care is high in all regions and at the local level, significant variations were observed between USF; regarding the use of the PEC, 76.9% did not receive qualification or training, 23.1% always experience difficulties when handling it and 46.2% are sometimes able to operate all the functions of the system. Therefore, there is a disparity between the first dental visit and the completion of treatments and, despite the high coverage of the first visit, even so, it is not enough to avoid worsening oral health problems, as well as the PEC is an important tool that provides better patient care, assist with care, help with health care planning, facilitate data access (AU).

Perfil do atendimento odontológico na Unidade de Pronto Atendimento do Município de Santa Maria / Dental care profile at an Urgent Care Unit in the city of Santa Maria, Brazil

O objetivo do estudo foi buscar informações documentais para caracterizar casos de urgências e emergências odontológicas na Unidade de Pronto Atendimento (UPA), em Santa Maria/RS. Para isso, realizou-se uma análise retrospectiva de dados nos prontuários dos pacientes de ambos os sexos e maiores de 18 anos, no período de seis meses. A amostra foi coletada de acordo com o perfil do paciente e levou-se em consideração: queixa principal, procedimentos realizados,tempo de permanência na UPA, sexoe idade.Aamostra foi composta pordados de 625 prontuários. A média de idade dos usuários foi de39,6±14,5 anos. A principal queixa encontrada foi ador (190, 24,4%), seguida de edema (49,6,3%), enquanto prescrições de medicamentos (250, 27,1%) e acesso àpolpa (235, 25,5%) foram os procedimentos mais realizados. O retorno de consultas no período analisado se deu em 189 (30,2%) dos casos, para realização de procedimentos como prescrição de medicamentos (130,27%), acesso àpolpa (122,26%) e troca de medicação intracanal (96,20%). Concluiu-se que, à medida em que a idade dos pacientes aumenta, os tratamentos endodônticos diminuem e as exodontias crescem. Além disso, foi possível identificar o perfil da população atendida: pacientes de ambos os sexos, comidade mediana de 37 anos, cujo tempo de permanência na UPA foi inferior a1hora, tendo como queixa principal a dor, enquanto o procedimento mais realizado foi a prescrição de medicamentos (AU).

The aim of the present study was to analyze documental information to characterize cases of urgent and emergency dental care at an Urgent Care Unit in the city of Santa Maria, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. A retrospective analysis was performed of data from the records of male and female patients 18 years of age or older in a six-month period. The variables of interest were patient's sex, age and main complaint as well as the procedures performed and duration in the Urgent Care Unit. The sample was composed of 625 patient records. Mean age was 39.6±14.5 years.The main complaint was pain (n = 190;24.4%), followed by edema (n = 49;6.3%). The most frequent procedures were the prescription of medication (n = 250;27.1%) and pulp access (n = 235;25.5%). Follow-up appointments occurred in 189 cases (30.2%) for procedures such as the prescription of medication (n = 130;27%), pulp access (n = 122;26%) and exchange of the intracanal medication (n = 96;20%). Endodontic treatment diminished and extractions increased with the increase in patient age. In summary, the following urgent dental care profile was found: male and female patients with a median age of 37 years who spent less than one hour at the Urgent Care Unit whose main complaint was pain and the most frequent procedure was the prescription of medication (AU).

Length and Redundancy of Outpatient Progress Notes Across a Decade at an Academic Medical Center.

Importance: There is widespread concern that clinical notes have grown longer and less informative over the past decade. Addressing these concerns requires a better understanding of the magnitude, scope, and potential causes of increased note length and redundancy. Objective: To measure changes between 2009 and 2018 in the length and redundancy of outpatient progress notes across multiple medical specialties and investigate how these measures associate with author experience and method of note entry. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Oregon Health & Science University, a large academic medical center. Participants included clinicians and staff who wrote outpatient progress notes between 2009 and 2018 for a random sample of 200 000 patients. Statistical analysis was performed from March to August 2020. Exposures: Use of a comprehensive electronic health record to document patient care. Main Outcomes and Measures: Note length, note redundancy (ie, the proportion of text identical to the patient's last note), and percentage of templated, copied, or directly typed note text. Results: A total of 2 704 800 notes written by 6228 primary authors across 46 specialties were included in this study. Median note length increased 60.1% (99% CI, 46.7%-75.2%) from a median of 401 words (interquartile range [IQR], 225-660 words) in 2009 to 642 words (IQR, 399-1007 words) in 2018. Median note redundancy increased 10.9 percentage points (99% CI, 7.5-14.3 percentage points) from 47.9% in 2009 to 58.8% in 2018. Notes written in 2018 had a mean value of just 29.4% (99% CI, 28.2%-30.7%) directly typed text with the remaining 70.6% of text being templated or copied. Mixed-effect linear models found that notes with higher proportions of templated or copied text were significantly longer and more redundant (eg, in the 2-year model, each 1% increase in the proportion of copied or templated note text was associated with 1.5% [95% CI, 1.5%-1.5%] and 1.6% [95% CI, 1.6%-1.6%] increases in note length, respectively). Residents and fellows also wrote significantly (26.3% [95% CI, 25.8%-26.7%]) longer notes than more senior authors, as did more recent hires (1.8% for each year later [95% CI, 1.3%-2.4%]). Conclusions and Relevance: In this study, outpatient progress notes grew longer and more redundant over time, potentially limiting their use in patient care. Interventions aimed at reducing outpatient progress note length and redundancy may need to simultaneously address multiple factors such as note template design and training for both new and established clinicians.

A Trend-Based Early Warning Score Can Be Implemented in a Hospital Electronic Medical Record to Effectively Predict Inpatient Deterioration.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether a statistically derived, trend-based, deterioration index is superior to other early warning scores at predicting adverse events and whether it can be integrated into an electronic medical record to enable real-time alerts. DESIGN: Forty-three variables and their trends from cases and controls were used to develop a logistic model and deterioration index to predict patient deterioration greater than or equal to 1 hour prior to an adverse event. SETTING: Two large Australian teaching hospitals. PATIENTS: Cases were considered as patients who suffered adverse events (unexpected death, unplanned ICU transfer, urgent surgery, and rapid-response alert) between August 1, 2016, and April 1, 2019. INTERVENTIONS: The logistic model and deterioration index were tested on historical data and then integrated into an electronic medical record for a 6-month prospective "silent" validation. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Data were acquired from 258,732 admissions. There were 8,002 adverse events. The addition of vital sign and laboratory trend values to the logistic model increased the area under the curve from 0.84 to 0.89 and the sensitivity to predict an adverse event 1-48 hours prior from 0.35 to 0.41. A 48-hour simulation showed that the logistic model had a higher area under the curve than the Modified Early Warning Score and National Early Warning Score (0.87 vs 0.74 vs 0.71). During the silently run prospective trial, the sensitivity of the deterioration index to detect adverse event any time prior to the adverse event was 0.474, 0.369 1 hour prior, and 0.327 4 hours prior, with a specificity of 0.972. CONCLUSIONS: A deterioration prediction model was developed using patient demographics, ward-based observations, laboratory values, and their trends. The model's outputs were converted to a deterioration index that was successfully integrated into a live hospital electronic medical record. The sensitivity and specificity of the tool to detect inpatient deterioration were superior to traditional early warning scores.

Harnessing the electronic health record to advance integrated care.

INTRODUCTION: Integrated health care is utilized in primary care clinics to meet patients' physical, behavioral, and social needs. Current methods to collect and evaluate the effectiveness of integrated care require refinement. Using informatics and electronic health records (EHR) to distill large amounts of clinical data may help researchers measure the impact of integrated care more efficiently. This exploratory pilot study aimed to (a) determine the feasibility of using EHR documentation to identify behavioral health and social care components of integrated care, using social work as a use case, and (b) develop a lexicon to inform future research using natural language processing. METHOD: Study steps included development of a preliminary lexicon of behavioral health and social care interventions to address basic needs, creation of an abstraction guide, identification of appropriate EHR notes, manual chart abstraction, revision of the lexicon, and synthesis of findings. RESULTS: Notes (N = 647) were analyzed from a random sample of 60 patients. Notes documented behavioral health and social care components of care but were difficult to identify due to inconsistencies in note location and titling. Although the interventions were not described in detail, the outcomes of screening, referral, and brief treatment were included. The integrated care team frequently used EHR to share information and communicate. DISCUSSION: Opportunities and challenges to using EHR data were identified and need to be addressed to better understand the behavioral health and social care interventions in integrated care. To best leverage EHR data, future research must determine how to document and extract pertinent information about integrated team-based interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Four Years Later: Examining Nurse Perceptions of Electronic Documentation Over Time.

OBJECTIVE: To examine changes in registered nurse (RN) perceptions of electronic documentation over a 4-year period. BACKGROUND: The investigators previously reported differences in RN perceptions prior to and 1 year after adoption of a comprehensive electronic health record (EHR). METHODS: Investigators repeated the study 4 years after adoption, using the Nurses' Perceptions of Electronic Documentation tool and interviews with a subset of RNs. RESULTS: Nurses scored higher on ease of use domain and lower on concern about the EHR domain and showed no difference on the impacts of the EHR domain. Interviews revealed that 4 years later, some aspects of documentation were easier; the tool was comprehensive, but not without risk, and nurses remained ambivalent about the EHR. CONCLUSIONS: Use of EHR technology impacts nursing work. It is important to understand how nurses' perceptions change over time. This study gives nursing leaders insight into adoption and acceptance of an EHR.

Head-tracking as an interface device for image control in digital pathology: a comparative study / Reconocimiento facial como interfaz de usuario para el manejo de la imagen en patología digital: un estudio comparativo

BACKGROUND: Inasmuch as the conventional mouse is not an ideal input device for digital pathology, the aim of this study was to evaluate alternative systems with the goal of identifying a natural user interface (NUI) for controlling whole slide images (WSI). DESIGN: Four pathologists evaluated three webcam-based, head-tracking mouse emulators: Enable Viacam (eViacam, CREA Software), Nouse (JLG Health Solutions Inc), and Camera Mouse (CM Solutions Inc). Twenty WSI dermatopathological cases were randomly selected and examined with Image Viewer (Ventana, AZ, USA). The NASA-TLX was used to rate the perceived workload of using these systems and time was recorded. In addition, a satisfaction survey was used. RESULTS: The mean total time needed for diagnosis with Camera Mouse, eViacam, and Nouse was 18'57", 19'37" and 22'32", respectively (57/59/68seconds per case, respectively). The NASA-TLX workload score, where lower scores are better, was 42.1 for eViacam, 53.3 for Nouse and 60.62 for Camera Mouse. This correlated with the pathologists' degree of satisfaction on a scale of 1-5: 3.4 for eViacam, 3 for Nouse, and 2 for Camera Mouse (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Head-tracking systems enable pathologists to control the computer cursor and virtual slides without their hands using only a webcam as an input device. - Of the three software solutions examined, eViacam seems to be the best of those evaluated in this study, followed by Nouse and, finally, Camera Mouse. - Further studies integrating other systems should be performed in conjunction with software developments to identify the ideal device for digital pathology

INTRODUCCIÓN: Considerando que el ratón convencional no es el controlador ideal en patología digital, el objetivo del estudio fue evaluar sistemas alternativos y tratar de identificar una interfaz natural de usuario para controlar preparaciones digitalizadas. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Cuatro patólogos evaluaron tres emuladores de ratón con reconocimiento facial a través de webcam: eViacam, Nouse y Camera Mouse. Se seleccionaron 20 casos digitalizados de dermatopatología aleatoriamente para su diagnóstico, empleando el software Image Viewer (Ventana, AZ, USA). Se utilizó el sistema NASA-TLX para registrar la carga de trabajo percibida y se grabaron los tiempos. Adicionalmente, se empleó un cuestionario de satisfacción. RESULTADOS: El tiempo medio requerido para diagnosticar con Camera Mouse, eViacam y Nouse fue de 18'57", 19'37"y 22'32", respectivamente (57/59/68 segundos por caso, respectivamente). La carga de trabajo NASA-TLX, donde registros menores implican menor carga, fue de 42,1 para eViacam, 53,3 para Nouse y 60,62 para Camera Mouse, correlacionándose con el grado de satisfacción de los patólogos en una escala de 1-5: 3,4 para eViacam (3,4), Nouse (3) y Camera Mouse (2) (p < 0,05). CONCLUSIONES: El reconocimiento facial posibilita a los patólogos el control del cursor y las preparaciones virtuales sin utilizar las manos, empleando únicamente una webcam como dispositivo de entrada. - De los tres sistemas, eViacam es el mejor software evaluado en este estudio, seguido de Nouse y, finalmente, de Camera Mouse. - Deben ser desarrollados estudios adicionales, integrando otros sistemas, en conjunción con el desarrollo de software para alcanzar el sistema ideal en patología digital

Antimicrobial Stewardship by Leveraging Electronic Medical Records.

This paper describes how an antimicrobial stewardship program was successfully developed and integrated into a university medical center's electronic healthcare records and improved antibiotic selection.

Implementation of improvement cycle in health records of mobile emergency prehospital care.

OBJECTIVE: to evaluate the effect of the implementation of a quality improvement cycle in the completion of occurrence forms of a Mobile Emergency Service. METHODS: this is a time series, quantitative, quasi-experimental study without control group, with three quality assessments in which was used an improvement cycle for adequacy of health records in Mobile Emergency Service Patos. RESULTS: in 100% of the seven criteria, there was improvement between evaluations. Noncompliance with criteria reduced from 95 cases in the first evaluation to eight cases in the third evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: the representation of joint results between the three evaluations highlighted progressive improvement in the compliance with each criterion.

Comparing Methods for Record Linkage for Public Health Action: Matching Algorithm Validation Study.

BACKGROUND: Many public health departments use record linkage between surveillance data and external data sources to inform public health interventions. However, little guidance is available to inform these activities, and many health departments rely on deterministic algorithms that may miss many true matches. In the context of public health action, these missed matches lead to missed opportunities to deliver interventions and may exacerbate existing health inequities. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the performance of record linkage algorithms commonly used in public health practice. METHODS: We compared five deterministic (exact, Stenger, Ocampo 1, Ocampo 2, and Bosh) and two probabilistic record linkage algorithms (fastLink and beta record linkage [BRL]) using simulations and a real-world scenario. We simulated pairs of datasets with varying numbers of errors per record and the number of matching records between the two datasets (ie, overlap). We matched the datasets using each algorithm and calculated their recall (ie, sensitivity, the proportion of true matches identified by the algorithm) and precision (ie, positive predictive value, the proportion of matches identified by the algorithm that were true matches). We estimated the average computation time by performing a match with each algorithm 20 times while varying the size of the datasets being matched. In a real-world scenario, HIV and sexually transmitted disease surveillance data from King County, Washington, were matched to identify people living with HIV who had a syphilis diagnosis in 2017. We calculated the recall and precision of each algorithm compared with a composite standard based on the agreement in matching decisions across all the algorithms and manual review. RESULTS: In simulations, BRL and fastLink maintained a high recall at nearly all data quality levels, while being comparable with deterministic algorithms in terms of precision. Deterministic algorithms typically failed to identify matches in scenarios with low data quality. All the deterministic algorithms had a shorter average computation time than the probabilistic algorithms. BRL had the slowest overall computation time (14 min when both datasets contained 2000 records). In the real-world scenario, BRL had the lowest trade-off between recall (309/309, 100.0%) and precision (309/312, 99.0%). CONCLUSIONS: Probabilistic record linkage algorithms maximize the number of true matches identified, reducing gaps in the coverage of interventions and maximizing the reach of public health action.