Comparability of different data sources (availability and comparability of information)

CONTENTS This session will explain why the health data held in many international databases are not comparable due to the use of different methods from one country to another to collect the data, different criteria for the diagnosis of diseases and conditions, unrepresentative samples, lack of calibration of examiners (data collectors) and the inclusion of historical, rather than current data. It will suggest reasons why these limitations exist and how to identify them. Many of the examples presented in the session relate to the two main groups of oral disease, which are dental caries (tooth decay) and periodontal diseases (gum diseases), which in 2013 were reported to be the commonest (dental caries in adults) and sixth most common (periodontal diseases) non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the world. The current variability and incomparability of data relating to COVID-19 and healthcare workforce numbers will also be presented. A case example from Finland will be provided where comparability of different data sources for selected health indicators will be presented. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Different data sources for same indicator Comparability of different data sources for same indicator within country Comparability of similar data sources between countries or regions within country To understand how to appraise the comparability of health data at a national level To understand the variability of methods used to collect health data To understand why health data found in most international databases frequently do not give an accurate representation of the current prevalence of many diseases and the healthcare workforce The recording of the session is available here