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Research Papers

Data integration and knowledge discovery in biomedical databases. Reliable information from unreliable sources

Authors
  • A Mitnitski
  • A Mogilner
  • C MacKnight
  • K Rockwood

Abstract

To better understand information about human health from databases we analyzed three datasets collected for different purposes in Canada: a biomedical database of older adults, a large population survey across all adult ages, and vital statistics. Redundancy in the variables was established, and this led us to derive a generalized (macroscopic state) variable, being a fitness/frailty index that reflects both individual and group health status. Evaluation of the relationship between fitness/frailty and the mortality rate revealed that the latter could be expressed in terms of variables generally available from any cross-sectional database. In practical terms, this means that the risk of mortality might readily be assessed from standard biomedical appraisals collected for other purposes.
Year: 2003
Volume 2
Page/Article: 25-34
DOI: 10.2481/dsj.2.25
Published on Jan 12, 2003
Peer Reviewed