A record linkage process of a cervical cancer screening database

Abstract

This paper aims at to present the integration of the files of the Brazilian Cervical Cancer Information System (SISCOLO) in order to identify all women in the system. SISCOLO has the exam as the unit of observation and the women are not uniquely identified. It has two main tables: histology and cytology, containing the histological and cytological examinations of women, respectively. In this study, data from June 2006 to December 2009 were used. Each table was linked with itself and with the other through record linkage methods. The integration identified 6236 women in the histology table and 1,678,993 in the cytology table. 5324 women from the histology table had records in the cytology table. The sensitivities were above 90% and the specificities and precisions near 100%. This study showed that it is possible to integrate SISCOLO to produce indicators for the evaluation of the cervical cancer screening programme taking the woman as the unit of observation.

Estratégias usadas no relacionamento entre Sistemas de Informações em Saúde para seguimento das mulheres com mamografias suspeitas no Sistema Único de Saúde

“…There are two official information systems within SUS that keep record of early cancer screening tests: Cervical Cancer Control Information System (SISCOLO) and Breast Cancer Control Information System (SISMAMA) 25 . Most studies that applied data linkage technique used the "cytology" and "anatomopathological" modules of the SISCOLO database 20,23,26,27 . Some specific studies using both SISCOLO and SISMAMA data have been conducted using the RecLink ®20 software along with programming resources of other statistical software packages 26,27 .…”

“…Most studies that applied data linkage technique used the "cytology" and "anatomopathological" modules of the SISCOLO database 20,23,26,27 . Some specific studies using both SISCOLO and SISMAMA data have been conducted using the RecLink ®20 software along with programming resources of other statistical software packages 26,27 . Only one study performed data linkage between SISCOLO and SIM 23 .…”

Cervical cancer data and data systems in limited‐resource settings: Challenges and opportunities

“…across time and continuum of care) through a PIN‐protected patient card, which stores synced health visit data . Processes such as probabilistic record linkage have also been successful in linking cervical cancer data across disparate systems to create ad hoc longitudinal patient records . These models can be evaluated to determine feasibility for local implementation, and capacity to serve cervical cancer data needs …”

Integrating Brazilian health information systems in order to support the building of data warehouses

“…In this sense, it is necessary to generate performance indicators (effectiveness, cost, adverse events among others) of the technologies in use and not only production indicators. This is possible due to the availability and access to SUS health information systems (mortality information system -SIM in Portuguese, hospital information system -SIH-SUS in Portuguese, outpatient information system -SIA-SUS in Portuguese, among others) (DATASUS, 2013) and the possibility of integrating the data records of these systems (Freire et al, 2012;Gomes and Almeida, 2004;Pires, 2011;Queiroz et al, 2009;Santos and Gutierrez, 2008). In cancer care, studies have demonstrated the possibility of linking records for generating indicators for the estimation of the required infrastructure, the follow up of clinical guidelines and the effectiveness of a screening program (Bastos, 2011;Costa, 2005;Gomes and Almeida, 2009).…”