Abstract
Effective use of data linkage is becoming an increasingly important focus in the new healthcare system in England. We linked data from the results of a multiplex PCR assay for respiratory viruses for a population of 230 inpatients at a UK teaching hospital with their patient administrative system records in order to compare the mortality and length of stay of patients who tested positive for influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 with those positive for another influenza A virus. The results indicated a reduced risk of death among influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 patients compared to other influenza A strains, with an adjusted risk ratio of 0·25 (95% confidence interval 0·08-0·75, P = 0·01), while no significant differences were found between the lengths of stay in the hospital for these two groups. Further development of such methods to link hospital data in a routine fashion could provide a rapid means of gaining epidemiological insights into emerging infectious diseases.
Highlights
Linkage of electronic health records to connect infor- care systems through the development of the care
We aimed to demonstrate how linkage of routinely collected hospital data could be used to address this question and similar and population-level concerns. This was a retrospective study of a group of inpatients at a UK teaching hospital who tested positive for an influenza A virus by multiplex PCR between November 2007 and December 2012
Successful linkages between the multiplex PCR, genotype, and Patient Administration System (PAS) databases were obtained for all records with the exception of 13 patients who tested positive for influenza A but for whom no genotyping results were available and were excluded from the analysis
Summary
Linkage of electronic health records to connect infor- care systems through the development of the care. This was a retrospective study of a group of inpatients at a UK teaching hospital who tested positive for an influenza A virus by multiplex PCR between November 2007 and December 2012.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call