On March 14th 2011, a national workshop was co hosted by the Collaboration, to explore in detail the feasibility, methodological challenges and costs of using modern, anonymized record-linkage to exploit Scotland’s considerable potential to utilise linkable administrative datasets, across diverse human service sectors of government, to efficiently address policy-relevant question.
It was co-hosted by SCPHRP, the Scottish Health Informatics Programme (SHIP), Information and Statistics Division (ISD) and the Centre for Research on Families and Relationships (CRFR). There were 73 participants from a range of academic departments, the Scottish Government and its various agencies. In addition to hearing about two contrasting record linkage systems that have been developed outside Scotland (South Australia and Manitoba, Canada), and current developments in Scotland, participants worked on three case studies, to think through what would be required to: i) Estimate the total societal, family and individual burden and costs of the emerging obesity pandemic, with special reference to type II diabetes; ii) Estimate the total societal, family and individual burden and costs of risky and anti-social behaviour in adolescence and early adult life; iii) Increase Scotland’s capacity to understand the health status of its population and its determinants, by facilitating population-based studies of aetiology, diagnosis/ disease burden, prognosis and treatments for common diseases.
The central purpose of the Workshop was to catalyse action among influential stakeholders, regarding ’next steps’ in expanding Scottish capacity for cross-sectoral record-linkage. A succinct briefing will be prepared, based on the workshop proceedings, which will then be circulated to relevant stakeholders and submitted to senior decision-makers in the Scottish Government. Since the workshop, the Director has met with Scotland’s Chief Statistician Rob Wishart to discuss taking the case for improved cross-sectoral record-linkage forward within Government.
Resources
Agenda and Biographies: Scottish Cross-Sectorial Record Linkage Workshop
