CRICOS No. 00213J

Us and them: data linkage from the perspective of custodians and users

Angela Watson, Kirsten McKenzie, and Barry WatsonInternational Data Linkage Conference, Perth May 2-4, 2012

Road safety A reliance on police data

• Good information about crash circumstances• Under-reporting• Injury outcomes• Cost and prioritisation• The new Australian National Road Safety

Strategy 2011-20203

Road safetyOther data sources

• Patients admitted to hospital• Emergency department • Ambulance Service• Coroner’s • Increasing interest in data linkage

What needs to be done first?• Data quality

– “garbage in garbage out”• Accessibility• Feasibility• Is it worthwhile?

What needs to be done first?• Data quality

– “garbage in garbage out”• Accessibility• Feasibility• Is it worthwhile?

What needs to be done first?• Data quality

– “garbage in garbage out”• Accessibility• Feasibility• Which model is most worthwhile?

Current study• Interviews with custodians, users, &

linkage experts• Data quality• Accessibility• Data linkage

Accessibility

Hierarchy

Data custodians

“We would only give aggregate data to the media or to the

public”“Researchers can get potentially identifiable data if they agree to

not report it publicly”“Can’t give potentially identifiable data to any external parties it’s a

matter of privacy”

Data users

“We have our own ethics processes, why is that

not enough?”“I understand why some things wouldn’t want to be made public, but I

don’t see researchers as the public”

Accessibility - Is it just privacy?

Interpret

Data custodians“So we spend a lot of time trying to explain what the limitations of

our data are”“Some researchers just

don’t understand the data at all”

Data users

“I think if you came in fresh and they hadn't

seen your name before, they would

have question marks.”

Accessibility - Is it just privacy?

Control

Data custodians

????

Data user

“If we're doing the work on behalf of them it's an easier process,

because they control the outcome”

What is data linkage?

WA

WAQLD

CODES (US)

Identifiers All data elements

Ad-

hoc

Rou

tine

Extent of data sharing

Freq

uenc

y

WA/QLD

Benefits of linkage Road safety

Validation tool

Validation tool

Under-reporting

Circumstances

Misclassification

Benefits of linkage Road safety

Validation tool

Under-reporting

Circumstances

Misclassification

Benefits of linkage Road safety

Validation tool

Under-reporting

Circumstances

Misclassification

Benefits of linkage Road safety

Add information

Without extra burden on collectors

Severity

Circumstances

Benefits of linkage Road safety

Add information

Without extra burden on collectors

Severity

Circumstances

Benefits of linkage Road safety

Benefits of linkage Road safety

Add information

Without extra burden on collectors

SeverityCrash

Pre-crash

Add information

Without extra burden on collectors

SeverityCrash

Pre-crash

Benefits of linkage Road safety

Add information

Without extra burden on collectors

Post-crashCrash

Pre-crash

Benefits of linkage Road safety

Crash event Pre-crash

EnforcementTraffic & criminal offence historyDrugs and alcoholEducationFamilyHealth

Crash event Pre-crash Crash

EnforcementTraffic & criminal offence historyDrugs and alcoholEducationFamilyHealth

Circumstances e.g., speeding, alcohol, fatigue

Crash event Pre-crash Crash Post-crash

EnforcementTraffic & criminal offence historyDrugs and alcoholEducationFamilyHealth

Circumstances e.g., speeding, alcohol, fatigue

Injury severityInjury outcomesMortality

Crash event Pre-crash Crash Post-crash

EnforcementTraffic & criminal offence historyDrugs and alcoholEducationFamilyHealth

Circumstances e.g., speeding, alcohol, fatigue

Injury severityInjury outcomesMortality

People seem to see the benefit, so why has it still not happened?

Barriers to linkage

Barriers

Capacity

Privacy

Reporting

Governance

Responsibility

Barriers to linkage

Barriers

Capacity

Privacy

Reporting

Governance

Responsibility

Barriers to linkage

Barriers

Capacity

Privacy

Reporting

Governance

Responsibility

Barriers to linkage

Barriers

Capacity

Privacy

Reporting

Governance

Responsibility

Barriers to linkage

Barriers

Capacity

Privacy

Reporting

Governance

Instigation

Summary• Accessibility problems may be more than

just about privacy• Relationships important• Different views on linkage

– Extent of sharing– Frequency

Summary• Benefits

– Validation tool– Adding information

• Barriers varied depending on model• What next.........

PhD

Piecing the puzzle together: data quality and linkage in road safety

PhD

Study 1 Interviews and

reviews

QualityAccessibilityFeasibility

Value

Study 2Non-linked data

analysis

Nature of dataQuality

FeasibilityValue

Study 3 Linked data analysis

QualityConcordance

FeasibilityValue

Crash event Pre-crash Crash Post-crash

EnforcementTraffic & criminal offence historyDrugs and alcoholEducationFamilyHealth

Circumstances e.g., speeding, alcohol, fatigue

Injury severityInjury outcomesMortality

PhD

One of a thousand post-doc ideas

Watch this space!

Questions?angela.watson@qut.edu.au

Mark your Diaries!

International Council on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety Conference (T2013)

26-29 August 2013, Brisbane