Can I refer you to papers by Paul Armstrong, based on his PhD
which used survival analysis on data from the old South West
Thames regional information system. On this, they could track to a
considerable extent what happened to individual patients. The
system was zapped when regional health authorities were
abolished in 1996 and standard national systems are not adequate
for doing what he did.
There are a number of different issues.
1. Whether information systems are designed in a way that would
track real waiting times.
2. Whether political pressures influence how data are recorded,
irrespective of the quality and design of information systems.
3. How data are released.
I was making point number three. It is important that data are
released in a way that enables discussion of the way they have
been produced. Otherwise issues 1 and 2 will be swept under the
carpet.
Alison
__________________________________________________________________
Alison Macfarlane
St Bartholomew School of Nursing and Midwifery
20 Bartholomew Close
West Smithfield Tel 0207 040 5832
London EC1A 7QN Email [log in to unmask]
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