scholarly journals Tasmanian Data Linkage Unit

Author(s):  
Brian Stokes ◽  
Nadine Wiggins ◽  
Tim Albion ◽  
Alison Venn

As a member of the Population Health Research Network Australia, being an Australian collaboration established to support the use of linked data for research and other purposes, the Tasmanian Data Linkage Unit [TDLU) provides linked-data services in Australia’s smallest state, and as part of the Menzies Institute for Medical Research at the state’s only University, the University of Tasmania. The TDLU works in close collaboration with the Tasmanian Government Department of Health and other key stakeholders both in Tasmania and Australia representing government, education, research, and the community sector. The TDLU is one of the newest data linkage services in Australia, and the smallest node of the PHRN having operated for almost nine years by less than three full time equivalent staff. However, despite its size and relative maturity as a provider of linked-data services, the TDLU continues to grow the number of datasets linked on a routine and ad-hoc basis, the number of projects completed, the size of its Master Linkage Map and number of ‘keys’ stored in this Map. The TDLU places high-emphasis on security, privacy preservation, innovation, quality assurance, stakeholder engagement and providing responsive and exemplary services to users of linked-data.}

Author(s):  
Brian Stokes

Background with rationaleBusiness Intelligence (BI) software applications collect and process large amounts of data from one or more sources, and for a variety of purposes. These can include generating operational or sales reports, developing dashboards and data visualisations, and for ad-hoc analysis and querying of enterprise databases. Main AimBusiness Intelligence (BI) software applications collect and process large amounts of data from one or more sources, and for a variety of purposes. These can include generating operational or sales reports, developing dashboards and data visualisations, and for ad-hoc analysis and querying of enterprise databases. Methods/ApproachIn deciding to develop a series of dashboards to visually represent data stored in its MLM, the TDLU identified routine requests for these data and critically examined existing techniques for extracting data from its MLM. Traditionally Structured Query Language (SQL) queries were developed and used for a single purpose. By critically analysing limitations with this approach, the TDLU identified the power of BI tools and ease of use for both technical and non-technical staff. ResultsImplementing a BI tool is enabling quick and accurate production of a comprehensive array of information. Such information assists with cohort size estimation, producing data for routine and ad-hoc reporting, identifying data quality issues, and to answer questions from prospective users of linked data services including instantly producing estimates of links stored across disparate datasets. Conclusion BI tools are not traditionally considered integral to the operations of data linkage units. However, the TDLU has successfully applied the use of a BI tool to enable a rich set of data locked in its MLM to be quickly made available in multiple, easy to use formats and by technical and non-technical staff.


Author(s):  
Natalie Wray ◽  
Felicity Flack ◽  
Katie Irvine

IntroductionThe Population Health Research Network (PHRN) is an Australian data linkage infrastructure capable of securely and safely linking and integrating data collections from a wide range of sources. Australia, as a federated nation, has taken a national approach because: Australia’s population is mobile and there is significant cross border service use Commonwealth, state and territory government agencies collect and store their own data. The national data linkage infrastructure enables researchers to apply for access to routinely collected and linked administrative data from the Commonwealth, six states and two territories. The application and approvals has been described by researchers as a time-consuming and administratively burdensome process. Objectives and ApproachThe primary objective of this project was to improve coordination of the application and approval processes for researchers requesting linked data from multiple jurisdictions in Australia. The approach taken was to develop a single application form/online application system (OAS) and standardise the business processes for multi-jurisdictional research applications. ResultsThe PHRN OAS was launched in 2014. All jurisdictions agreed to use the system for multi-jurisdictional linked data projects and SA NT DataLink agreed to use the system for their single-jurisdictional projects. Each year since the PHRN OAS’s launch, both the total number of registered users and the number of submissions each year has increased. The majority oforganisations that lodge submissions are universities and medical research institutes. There has been a significant reduction in the time taken by data linkage units to issue quotes and the time taken to achieve all approvals for multi-jurisdictional projects since the introduction of the standardised business processes. Conclusion / ImplicationsThis paper demonstrates that despite the challenges and complexities associated with applying for linked data from multiple jurisdictions a coordinated application and approval approach can be achieved.


Author(s):  
Felicity Flack ◽  
Natalie Wray ◽  
Merran Smith

ABSTRACTObjectivesIn 2009 Australian governments and academic institutions made a substantial investment to establish the Population Health Research Network (PHRN), a distributed research infrastructure network which provides Australian researchers with state-of-the-art data linkage facilities and services. The infrastructure operates on a collaborative, national, non-exclusive basis and enables Australian researchers to address key national and global challenges. We have conducted a review of the PHRN’s progress over the last 6 years in achieving its objectives of:1. increasing the data linkage research capacity in Australia2. enabling research in national priority areas. ApproachProgress with achieving the first objective was measured by comparing the data linkage facilities and services available in Australia in 2008-09 with those available in 2014-15. The following categories of services and facilities were used in the analysis: Linkage facilities Application, access and storage facilities Information, training and education Changes in usage of the data linkage infrastructure over the period 2008-09 to 2014-15 were measured. The second objective was achieved by using bibliometrics to assess academic impact, in the form of citations, of peer-reviewed publications which arose from use of the PHRN infrastructure. The topics of all of the publications were compared to health priority areas to determine the extent to which the infrastructure has been used to inform national priorities. ResultsThere has been a significant expansion of the data linkage facilities from a small number of jurisdictional data linkage units to a distributed network of data linkage units servicing researchers in every state and territory. A cross-jurisdictional data linkage capability has also been established as well as a national online data application system, a secure remote access laboratory and a secure file transfer system. A variety of information, training and education has been provided to stakeholders. The expansion of the facilities and services has seen usage of data linkage units triple since 2011-12. The number of peer-reviewed publications resulting from the use of the PHRN infrastructure has increased every year since 2011-12. There were 111 publications in 2014-15. Areas of high burden of disease in Australia, cancer, cardiovascular and endocrine diseases are highly represented in the publications. ConclusionThere has been a significant increase in data linkage research infrastructure in Australia from 2008-09 to 2014-15. This has resulted in an increase in both the number of research projects conducted using linked data and the number of related peer-reviewed publications.


2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
pp. 584 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Young ◽  
Felicity Flack

Objective The aim of this study was to quantify the use of linked data for health and human services research in Australia since the establishment of the Population Health Research Network (PHRN) in 2009. Methods A systematic literature search was performed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2009 checklist to search for all publications involving the use of Australian linked data between 2009–10 and 2016–17. Publications were categorised by subject, data linked and data linkage unit involved. Results In all, 7153 articles were identified from the initial search, and 1208 were included in the final analysis. An increase in the number of publications involving linked data was observed from 2009–10 through to 2015–16. Most articles (82%) featured data linked by at least one PHRN-funded data linkage unit. The research areas of 86% of publications were able to be classified according to the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision Australian Modification (ICD-10-AM). The number of publications involving cross-sectoral linked data also increased. Conclusions Investment in Australian data linkage infrastructure has seen an increase in the number of research publications involving the use of linked health and human services data. This study identified areas where linked data is commonly used and those where use could be improved. What is known about the topic? Data linkage is a method of bringing together information about individual people, places and events from different sources in a way that protects individual privacy. Individual jurisdictions have reported benefits from research conducted using linked data, including the generation of new knowledge and supporting improvements in the delivery of a wide range of health and human services. There has been significant investment in national data linkage infrastructure in Australia over the past 8 years. To date, there has been no systematic investigation of the effect of this investment on the use of linked population data by the research community. What does this paper add? This paper provides evidence of the increased use of high-quality population-based linked data in research over the 8-year period studied. It demonstrates the application of data linkage across a wide range of health areas and highlights the small but growing number of studies using cross-sectoral data to investigate complex conditions. What are the implications for practitioners? It is important to demonstrate to funders, policy makers, data custodians and researchers the value of robust data linkage capacity as an important national resource. Its use by researchers can bring enormous social and economic benefits by providing a more complete picture of the health and well-being of the community. The range of data collections routinely linked is increasing, as is the pool of researchers experienced in handling and analysing the data. Continued investment in Australia’s data linkage infrastructure and the inclusion of other collections including general practice data will augment the use of this infrastructure in expanding the evidence base for policy makers and practitioners.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 55-59
Author(s):  
Irgi Achmad Fahrezy ◽  
ST. Salmia L. A ◽  
Soemanto Soemanto

Pertumbuhanydan permintaan akan sandang yangysemakin meningkat menuntutbperusahan konveksi untuk memiliki tingkat produktifitas yang tinggi, dimana proses ini dapat dilakukan dengan cara meningkatkanbproduktifitas karyawannya. Erlangga Konveksi adalah salah satu perusahaan konveksi yang berdiri tahun 2010. Masalah yang terjadi di Erlangga Konveksi adalah tidak seimbangnya waktu proses produksi pada tiap stasiun kerja yang menyebabkan terjadinya penambahan jumlahpwaktu kerja dan menyebabkan penumpukanfdan banyak kegiatan dari operator yang menghabiskantwaktu dimana operator banyak melakukan kegiatan di luar dari stasiun kerja mereka sendiri untuk membantu operator di stasiun kerja lainya. Untuk itu perlu dilakukan pengukuran beban kerja sebagai dasar perhitungan kebutuhan tenaga kerja yang sesuai pada bagian produksi. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode Full Time Equivalent. Hasil pengukuran menunjukkan beban kerja adalah sebesar 0,33 pada operator gambar pola; 0,29 pada operator  pemotongan 1; 0,31 pada operator pemotongan 2; 0,21 pada operator sablon 1 dan 2; 0,22 pada operator press sablon; 1,24 pada operator jahit obras 1; 1,27 padaooperator jahit obras 2; 0,34 pada operator jahit rantai; 0,25 pada operator cutting sebelumnoverdeck; 0,55 pada operator overdeck 1 dan 2; 0,57 pada operator overdeck 3; 0,18 pada operator quality control 1 dan 2; 0,14 pada operator steam; 0,42 pada operatorpsetrika dan 0,20 pada operator packaging. Berdasarkan beban kerja yang telah dihitung pada masing-masing operatorybagian produksi Erlangga Konveksi, Malang, jumlah tenaga optimal pada bagian produksi adalah sebanyak 7 orang yang terbagi ke dalam 7 stasiun kerja.


Author(s):  
Tat Ming Ng ◽  
Sock Hoon Tan ◽  
Shi Thong Heng ◽  
Hui Lin Tay ◽  
Min Yi Yap ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The deployment of antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) teams to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic can lead to a loss of developed frameworks, best practices and leadership resulting in adverse impact on antimicrobial prescribing and resistance. We aim to investigate effects of reduction in AMS resources during the COVID-19 pandemic on antimicrobial prescribing. Methods One of 5 full-time equivalent AMS pharmacists was deployed to support pandemic work and AMS rounds with infectious disease physicians were reduced from 5 to 2 times a week. A survey in acute inpatients was conducted using the Global Point Prevalence Survey methodology in July 2020 and compared with those in 2015 and 2017–2019. Results The prevalence of antimicrobial prescribing (55% in 2015 to 49% in 2019 and 47% in 2020, p = 0.02) and antibacterials (54% in 2015 to 45% in 2019 and 42% in 2020, p < 0.01) have been reducing despite the pandemic. Antimicrobial prescribing in infectious disease wards with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases was 29% in 2020. Overall, antimicrobial prescribing quality indicators continued to improve (e.g. reasons in notes, 91% in 2015 to 94% in 2019 and 97% in 2020, p < 0.01) or remained stable (compliance to guideline, 71% in 2015 to 62% in 2019 and 73% in 2020, p = 0.08). Conclusion During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was no increase in antimicrobial prescribing and no significant differences in antimicrobial prescribing quality indicators.


Author(s):  
Belinda Jessup ◽  
Tony Barnett ◽  
Kehinde Obamiro ◽  
Merylin Cross ◽  
Edwin Mseke

Background: On a per capita basis, rural communities are underserviced by health professionals when compared to metropolitan areas of Australia. However, most studies evaluating health workforce focus on discrete professional groups rather than the collective contribution of the range of health, care and welfare workers within communities. The objective of this study was therefore to illustrate a novel approach for evaluating the broader composition of the health, welfare and care (HWC) workforce in Tasmania, Australia, and its potential to inform the delivery of healthcare services within rural communities. Methods: Census data (2011 and 2016) were obtained for all workers involved in health, welfare and care service provision in Tasmania and in each statistical level 4 area (SA4) of the state. Workers were grouped into seven categories: medicine, nursing, allied health, dentistry and oral health, health-other, welfare and carers. Data were aggregated for each category to obtain total headcount, total full time equivalent (FTE) positions and total annual hours of service per capita, with changes observed over the five-year period. Results: All categories of the Tasmanian HWC workforce except welfare grew between 2011 and 2016. While this growth occurred in all SA4 regions across the state, the HWC workforce remained maldistributed, with more annual hours of service per capita provided in the Hobart area. Although the HWC workforce remained highly feminised, a move toward gender balance was observed in some categories, including medicine, dentistry and oral health, and carers. The HWC workforce also saw an increase in part-time workers across all categories. Conclusions: Adopting a broad approach to health workforce planning can better reflect the reality of healthcare service delivery. For underserviced rural communities, recognising the diverse range of workers who can contribute to the provision of health, welfare and care services offers the opportunity to realise existing workforce capacity and explore how ‘total care’ may be delivered by different combinations of health, welfare and care workers.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (Supplement_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
J Redfern ◽  
K Hyun ◽  
D Brieger ◽  
D Chew ◽  
J French ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of disease burden globally. With advancements in medical and surgical care more people are surviving initial acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and are in need of secondary prevention and cardiac rehabilitation (CR). Increasing availability of high quality individual-level data linkage provides robust estimates of outcomes long-term. Purpose To compare 3 year outcomes amongst ACS survivors who did and did not participate in Australian CR programs. Methods SNAPSHOT ACS follow-up study included 1806 patients admitted to 232 hospitals who were followed-up by data linkage (cross-jurisdictional morbidity, national death index, Pharmaceutical Benefit Schedule) at 6 and 36 months to compare those who did/not attend CR. Results In total, the cohort had a mean age of 65.8 (13.4) years, 60% were male, only 25% (461/1806) attended CR. During index admission, attendees were more likely to have had PCI (39% v 14%, p&lt;0.001), CABG (11% v 2%, p&lt;0.001) and a diagnosis of STEMI (21% v 5%, p&lt;0.001) than those who did not attend. However, there was no significant difference between CR attendees/non-attendees for risk factors (LDL-cholesterol, smoking, obesity). Only 19% of eligible women attended CR compared to 30% of men (p&lt;0.001). At 36 months, there were fewer deaths amongst CR attendees (19/461, 4.1%) than non-attendees (116/1345, 8.6%) (p=0.001). CR attendees were more likely to have repeat ACS, PCI, CABG at both 6 and 36 months (Table). At 36 months, CR attendees were more likely to have been prescribed antiplatelets (78% v 53%, p&lt;0.001), statins (91% 73%, p&lt;0.001), beta-blockers (11% v 13%, p=0.002) and ACEI/ARBs (72% v 61%, p&lt;0.001) than non-attendees. Conclusions Amongst Australian ACS survivors, participation in CR was associated with less likelihood of death and increased prescription of pharmacotherapy. However, attendance at CR was associated with higher rates of repeat ACS and revascularisation. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: Foundation. Main funding source(s): New South Wales Cardiovascular Research Network, National Heart Foundation


Author(s):  
Ishaan Gupta ◽  
Zishan K. Siddiqui ◽  
Mark D. Phillips ◽  
Amteshwar Singh ◽  
Shaker M. Eid ◽  
...  

Abstract In response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the State of Maryland established a 250-bed emergency response field hospital at the Baltimore Convention Center to support the existing healthcare infrastructure. To operationalize this hospital with 65 full-time equivalent (FTE) clinicians in less than four weeks, more than 300 applications were reviewed, 186 candidates were interviewed, and 159 clinicians were credentialed and onboarded. The key steps to achieve this undertaking involved employing multidisciplinary teams with experienced personnel, mass outreach, streamlined candidate tracking, pre-interview screening, utilizing all available expertise, expedited credentialing, and focused onboarding. To ensure staff preparedness, the leadership developed innovative team models, applied principles of effective team building, and provided ‘just in time’ training on COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 related topics to the staff. The leadership focused on staff safety and well-being, offered appropriate financial remuneration and provided leadership opportunities that allowed retention of staff.


2016 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 85-98
Author(s):  
Roland Zullo

I investigate the feasibility of completely privatizing prison physical and mental health service. The study is based on bid documents from Michigan’s 2012 exploration of privatized health care, along with historical documents. Five lessons are reported: (1) Price differences are largely attributable to staffing strategies, with private agents using fewer full-time equivalent (FTE) and less-qualified staff; (2) privatization ushers in personnel practice that is less structured for long-term employee retention; (3) managed competition is impractical due to qualified provider scarcity and desirability of client-patient continuity; (4) tension between best practice medicine and the profit motive is unresolvable, which necessitates diligent monitoring; and (5) privatization ideology is a powerful force that is external to the public interest but one that can be challenged by “good government” coalitions.


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