Procedures for health data linkage: applications in Health Surveillance

Abstract

Objective: To present a standardized methodology for linking different public health databases. Methods: Methodological review article specifically describes data processing processes for deterministic linkage between structured databases. It was instructed how to: treat the data, select binding keys, and link the banks using two simulated databases in the R software. Results: The commands used for the deterministic binding of the inner_join type were presented. The linking process resulted in a database with 40,108 pairs using only the ‘name’ key. The addition of the second key, ‘Mother's name’, resulted in 112 pairs. By adding the third key, ‘Date of birth’, only two pairs were identified. Conclusion: The linking of databases and their analyses are valid and valuable tools for health services to support health surveillance actions.