Tracking Software for Longitudinal studiesat the National Center for Health Statistics

Ninteenth Annual SAS Users Group International Conference

Sandra T. Rothwell ; National Center for Health Statistics ; Hyattsville ; MD

PID  :  88218

来源: CEUR

【 摘 要 】

The mission of the National Center forBealth Statistics (NCBS) is to providestatistical information that will guideactions and policies to improve thehealth of the American people. Tosupport this mission NCHS began tofield an increasing number of studieswhich followed the health status ofindividuals over time. Theselongitudinal studies can continue formany years and require the constantupdate of vital status data andinformation necessary to recontactliving survey subjects in person, bymail, or over the telephone. As thenumber of followup studies grew, itbecame clear that this tracing activitywas best supported by a single systemwhich would be applicable agencywide.This system, written using SAS/AF~software, currently provides support fornine of the most often used methods forcollecting changes in addresses,telephone numbers, vital status anddates of death. Information may beobtained from the U.S. Postal Service,the telephone companies, selectedGovernment and private databases, andthrough direct contact with the subjectsthemselves. The system is designed tosupport any NCHS survey, to meet strictconfidentiality requirements, to bealmost infinitely expandable, and to becompatible across mainframes, micro