Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Title
International Journal of Population Data Science
Publisher
Swansea University
School
School of Nursing and Midwifery / Centre for Research in Aged Care
RAS ID
36248
Abstract
Established in 1995, the Western Australian Data Linkage Branch (DLB) is Australia’s longest running data linkage agency. The Western Australian Data Linkage System (WADLS) employs an enduring linkage model spanning over 60 data collections supported by internally developed and supported software and IT infrastructure. DLB has delivered, and continues to deliver, a range of significant data linkage innovations, many of which have been adopted elsewhere. A current restructure within the Western Australian Department of Health (which we will refer to as the Department of Health) will provide an improved funding model geared toward addressing issues with staff retention, capacity and customer service, as well as fostering improvements to data management, governance and availability. Research using linked data provided by DLB has been used in over 800 projects resulting in over 2350 publications and outcomes for policy development, service delivery and public health. Demand continues to grow for data linkage services and with the Department of Health’s bolstered commitment to resourcing, DLB looks forward to a future for data linkage in Western Australia that is sustainable, high quality, efficient, and safe.
DOI
10.23889/ijpds.v4i2.1138
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Comments
Hodges, S., Eitelhuber, T., Merchant, A., & Alan, J. (2019). Population data centre profile - The Western Australian data linkage branch. International Journal of Population Data Science, 4(2), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.23889/ijpds.v4i2.1138