LINKING INDIVIDUAL DATA - METHODS OF RECO RD LINKAGE

This paper gives an overview of linking methods of personal data compu ted in different files as registers and administrative or medical reco rds. Epidemiological and demographic examples are studied, then the su ccessive steps of record linkage are described : definition and choice of identifiants, searching and comparing pairs of records to determin e whether they should be linked. A special mention is made to probabil ity matching and methods optimizing the matching procedures. The discu ssion envisages the advantages of record linkage : better use of healt h statistics, new types of epidemiologic studies. The ethical problems and the need for evaluation are also discussed.