Availability of Real-World Data in Italy: A Tool to Navigate Regional Healthcare Utilization Databases

Edlira Skrami, Flavia Carle, Simona Villani, Paola Borrelli, Antonella Zambon, Giovanni Corrao, Paolo Trerotoli, Vincenzo Guardabasso and Rosaria Gesuita
Additional contact information
Edlira Skrami: Centre of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Information Technology, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60126 Ancona (AN), Italy
Flavia Carle: Centre of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Information Technology, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60126 Ancona (AN), Italy
Simona Villani: Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia (PV), Italy
Paola Borrelli: Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia (PV), Italy
Antonella Zambon: Department of Statistics and Quantitative Methods, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milano (MI), Italy
Giovanni Corrao: Department of Statistics and Quantitative Methods, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milano (MI), Italy
Paolo Trerotoli: Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, University of Bari, 70121 Bari (BA), Italy
Vincenzo Guardabasso: Teaching Hospital “Policlinico-Vittorio Emanuele”, University of Catania, 95123 Catania (CT), Italy
Rosaria Gesuita: Centre of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Information Technology, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60126 Ancona (AN), Italy

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 17, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: The purpose of the study was to map and describe the healthcare utilization databases (HUDs) available in Italy’s 19 regions and two autonomous provinces and develop a tool to navigate through them. A census of the HUDs covering the population of a single region/province and recording local-level data was conducted between January 2014 and October 2016. The characteristics of each HUD regarding the start year, data type and completeness, data management system (DMS), data protection procedures, and data quality control adopted were collected through interviews with the database managers using a standard questionnaire or directly from the website of the regional body managing them. Overall, 352 HUDs met the study criteria. The DMSs, anonymization procedures of personal identification data, and frequency of data quality control were fairly homogeneous within regions, whereas the number of HUDs, data availability, type of identification code, and anonymization procedures were considerably heterogeneous across regions. The study provides an updated inventory of the available regional HUDs in Italy and highlights the need for greater homogeneity across regions to improve comparability of health data from secondary sources. It could represent a reference model for other countries to provide information on the available HUDs and their features, enhancing epidemiological studies across countries.

Keywords: healthcare utilization databases; population based; epidemiology; Italy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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