Use of record linkage techniques to maintain the Leicestershire Diabetes Register.

The Leicestershire Diabetes Register is a computerised live register of approximately 5000 insulin users who are resident in Leicestershire. Data capture is from clinic notes and is input by two part-time clerical officers. The register is used for epidemiological and planning purposes. The computer software used for the register was developed in-house and is written in C, ensuring a fast response time even on large numbers of records, and will run on any IBM PC-compatible. Successful use is made of record linkage techniques, including phonetic name matching and a heuristic algorithm to improve reporting of results and to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the register, and much manual checking is thus avoided. Record linkage allows us to check for duplicates, deaths and migrations and allows cross-checks on the accuracy and completeness of patients' identifying details.