© 1997 Faculty of Public Health Medicine of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom
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Routinely collected data in national and regional databases - an under-used resource
Marion R. S. Bain, Consultant in Public Health Medicine
James W. T. Chalmers, Consultant in Public Health Medicine
David H. Brewster, Director of Cancer Registration
Information and Statistics Division of the National Health Service in Scotland Trinity Park House, South Trinity Road, Edinburgh EH5 3SQ
Address correspondence to Dr M. R. S. Bain.
Regional and national databases of routinely collected data contain large quantities of health information, usually covering whole populations and often spanning prolonged time periods. Using routine data involves identifying useful sources, assessing the quality of the data and deciding whether what is available is ‘fit for purpose’. As long as adequate care is taken, these data may be used in a number of different ways beyond their traditional uses for population health assessments and health service planning.
Keywords: routine data, national databases, data quality, information
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