The final analysis dataset comprised 46 139
ABS death records linked to 648 746 records from population datasets: APD n = 511 949, EDDC n = 135 657, RBDM birth registration records (mothers) n = 194, RBDM birth registration records (infants) n = 332, PDC records (mothers) n = 211, and PDC records (infants) n = 403.
There were no linked records for 3.9 % of
ABS death records.
We considered various approaches to assessing the weight of evidence from linked records where a person was reported as non-Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander on
the ABS death record or where this information was missing.
For this study, we defined a «unit of information» as information on an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person obtained from one of: a RBDM birth registration record, a PDC record, an EDDC record,
an ABS death record or a record from the APD representing a hospital stay.
Not exact matches
Data sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics (
ABS)
death registration data for NSW linked with
records of the NSW Admitted Patient Data, NSW Emergency Department Data Collection, NSW Perinatal Data Collection and Registry of Births,
Deaths and Marriages birth registration data;
ABS Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander estimated resident population NSW 20072; and standard
death rates were obtained using
ABS Australian
death data 2006 and the estimated resident Australian population 2006 14.
This study estimates the level of increased reporting of
deaths among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in NSW on the
ABS death data that is achieved by using linked
records from a range of health and health - related datasets, and the impact on mortality rates.
Information on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is drawn from all linked
records and used to «enhance» information on the
ABS death data.
The level of reporting of
deaths among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in NSW on
ABS death data based on enhancement with the algorithm (74.4 %) is similar to that found by
ABS for NSW
deaths in a eleven - month period in 2006 and 2007 using linked
death and Census
records (76.3 %)[3].
ABS death data were deterministically linked to RBDM
death registration
records using the
death registration number.
Record linkage of routinely collected health data with
ABS death data provides a possible method to increase reporting of
deaths among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Baseline reporting of
deaths on the
ABS data is compared with two methods of enhancement: first, where there is any linked
record that indicates a person is Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander; and second, an algorithm that uses a weight of evidence to report a person as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.
Using a
record linkage method (linking Census to
death registrations data), the
ABS estimated that the rate of reporting of
deaths among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples was 76 % in 2006 — 07 [3].