A guide to navigating administrative data linkage for research.

Data linkage brings together information from various sources, including routinely collected administrative data or data from different research studies, to create a new, richer dataset. It provides insights into complex relationships between health and outcomes and evidence pathways to good health. However, when considering data linkage, there are several processes and practicality aspects that need to be explored.

Hospital-service use in the last year of life by patients aged ⩾60 years who died of heart failure or cardiomyopathy: A retrospective linked data study.

Background: Understanding patterns of health care use in the last year of life is critical in health services planning.

Aim: To describe hospital-based service and palliative care use in hospital in the year preceding death for patients who died of heart failure or cardiomyopathy in Queensland from 2008 to 2018 and had at least one hospitalisation in the year preceding death.

Design: A retrospective data linkage study was conducted using administrative health data relating to hospitalisations, emergency department visits and deaths.

Analysis of health administration data to inform health service planning for paediatric palliative care.

Background: Health service planning in paediatric palliative care is complex, with the diverse geographical and demographic characteristics adding to the challenge of developing services across different nations. Accurate and reliable data are essential to inform effective, efficient and equitable health services.

Aim: To quantify health service usage by children and young people aged 0-21 years with a life-limiting condition admitted to hospital and health service facilities in Queensland, Australia during the 2011 and 2016 calendar years, and describe the clinical and demographic characteristics associated with health services usage.

Estimating the prevalence of life-limiting conditions in Queensland for children and young people aged 0-21 years using health administration data.

Objective The prevalence of life-limiting conditions in children in Australia is unknown; such data are needed to inform health service planning for paediatric palliative care. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of life-limiting conditions for children and young people aged 0-21 years living in Queensland, Australia. Methods An observational study using linked administrative health data from the 2011 and 2016 calendar years was performed for all individuals with an International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision Australian Modification code relating to a life-limiting condition eligible for palliative care recorded against an admission to a public or private hospital and health service provider in Queensland or against a cause or underlying cause of death in the Queensland Registrar General Deaths.