This research uses population-based administrative data linking health service use to longitudinal postal code information to describe the residential mobility of individuals with a severe mental illness (SMI), schizophrenia. This group is compared to two cohorts, one with no mental illness, and one with a severe physical illness of inflammatory bowel disease. The percentage of individuals with one or more changes in postal code in a 3-year period is examined, along with measures of rural-to-rural regional migration and rural-to-urban migration. Demographic, socioeconomic, and health service use characteristics are examined as determinants of mobility. The odds of moving were twice as high for the SMI cohort as for either of the other two cohorts. There were no statistically significant differences in rural-to-rural or rural-to-urban migration among the cohorts. Marital status, income quintile, and use of physicians are consistent determinants of mobility. The results are discussed from the perspectives of health services planning and access to housing.

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OBJECTIVE: Administrative health databases are increasingly used to conduct population-based health research and surveillance; this has resulted in a corresponding growth in studies about their quality. Our objective was to describe the characteristics of published Canadian studies about administrative health database quality.METHODS: PubMed, Scopus, and Google Advanced were searched, along with websites of relevant organizations. English-language studies that evaluated the quality of one or more Canadian administrative health databases between 2004 and 2014 were selected for inclusion. Extracted information included data quality concepts and measures, year and type of publication, type of database, and geographic origin.SYNTHESIS: More than 3,000 publications were identified from the search. Twelve reports and 144 peer-reviewed papers were included. The majority (53.5%) of peer-review publications used databases from Ontario and Alberta, while 67% of the non-peer-review publications used data from multiple provinces/ territories. Almost all peer-reviewed papers (97.2%) were validation studies. Hospital discharge abstracts and physician billing claims were the most frequently validated databases. Approximately half of the publications (53.0%) validated case definitions and 37.7% focused on a chronic physical health condition. CONCLUSION:Gaps in the Canadian administrative data quality literature include a limited number of studies evaluating data from the Maritimes and across multiple jurisdictions, newer data sources, validating methods for identifying individuals with mental illness, and assessing the completeness and serviceability of the data. Data quality studies can aid researchers to understand the strengths and limitations of the data. Administrative health databases were originally created for health care management and monitoring functions, such as remunerating physicians. Although these databases were not originally designed to be used for research and surveillance, they contain a rich source of information that is now routinely used for these purposes.5,6 Therefore a central question underlying studies that use administrative health databases is "Are the data of good quality for their intended use?" Given that administrative data are often used in epidemiological and public health research, it is important to conduct data quality studies so researchers are kept informed about the strengths and limitations of the data, and can then take steps to produce unbiased results by minimizing selection bias and measurement error. These efforts support good decision making about health and health care use. Data quality is a broad concept that is both relative and multidimensional.7 One comprehensive definition is "the totality of features and characteristics of a data set that bear on its ability to satisfy the needs that result from the intended use of the data". The latter concept refers to the ability to bring together data from different sources; for example, coherence can be achieved by using comm...

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