Caserta - sporedata/researchdesigneR GitHub Wiki
General description
Individual claims databases containing information on NHS-covered healthcare services are contained in the Caserta linkage database. Through anonymised unique patient identifiers, all claims data from the Caserta Local Health Unit (LHU) may be connected to each other. Drug dispensing databases and hospital discharge diagnostic databases are two of the most commonly utilized databases. The degree of patient coverage in the catchment region is quite high, as almost everyone in Caserta, like in all other initialian cities, is an NHS beneficiary.
Variable categories
Limitations
- Explicit diagnoses are captured in the caserta claims database mostly through the hospital discharge database. This indicates that non-hospitalized individuals are unlikely to have any further diagnostic records in other claims.
- Acute rather than chronic illness is more likely to be diagnosed from hospital discharge claims. As a result, illness detection in caserta claims data is generally done by proxy (for example, using anti-diabetic medicines to identify diabetics) or by complex algorithms based on patient features related to a certain condition.
Related publications
- Antidepressant drugs: prevalence, incidence and indication of use in general practice of Southern Italy during the years 2003–2004
- Antipsychotic utilization patterns among patients with schizophrenic disorder: a cross-national analysis in four countries