-----Original Message-----
From: Giovanna polato
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: 24/09/02 17:11
Subject: Re: FW: using routine data

Agree on name searching; it has proven misleading in London. As you say,
in
particular algorithms developed for Asian populations picked out
sizeable groups
of Black African Muslims.

I agree country of birth is useful; however country of birth AND
ethnicity
(perhaps using the extended groups) would be better still. And language,
as
we're there: I reckon if we could tie some of the funding for
interpreting
services to the properly coded recorded numbers we may get somewhere.
Even GPs
should start thinking about RR(A)A... and collect ethnicity.

Secondary care has collected ethnicity since 1995 for admitted patient
care.
London now is monitoring this collection as part of preformance
monitoring
targets, and some work on these is included as part of the London Health
Observatory Ethnic Health Intelligence Programme. Country of birth does
nothing
for any of our second generation and beyond. Without forgetting White
british
born abroad, and Asian born in Eastern Africa (22% percent of Londoners
classified as Indian at the 1991 census were born there).You will all
know about
it, but a good report if you want to have a look at it is:
http://www.lho.org.uk/holp/reports/pdf/bme_ha.pdf

Giovanna Maria

"Saltus-Blackwood R (SoCS)" wrote:

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jones Benjamin
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: 23 September 2002 15:31
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: using routine data
>
> hey colin et al,
>
> Correct, routine ethnic coding is yet to be come widespread in primary
care,
> secondary care have collected it for a while now (6/7 years ?) but the
> quality of their data is on the whole extremely poor, although
hopefully
> getting better.
>
> Routine data sources; I am not sure of any differences in NHS
structure
> systems between Scotland and England ( I presume your GP's are just as
hard
> to work with as ours :>)) However, we  have the Exeter system this
records
> information from primary care registrations. One of the fields
recorded is
> Country/Place of birth. In our area this field is filled in in about
60% of
> cases. It is a mandatory field, but I think primary care staff do not
> realise this, newer computer systems force the staff to enter a
country, I
> think older systems did not.
>
> This data is very useful. Whereas your census data (when we get it)
may well
> not reveal smaller populations i.e. those without their own
classification
> on the census form e.g. somalis/yemenis the Exeter system data allows
you to
> do this.
>
> The data can be extracted easily but then needs to be cleaned up (i.e.
> changing all Liverpool entries into England). This is time consuming
and
> requires, as well as a good knowledge of Excel and possibly macros, a
good
> knowledge of geography. But in a day or two you will have stats in the
> country of birth for 60% of your patients.
>
> Now some people will argue that country of birth is not a valid
measure of
> ethnicity. Fair comment, but IMHO Ethnic group is also not a fair
measure,
> we have to make do with what we have. This information is interesting,
> allows you a very detailed look at your population, gives you good
> predictive population sizes etc. However, it does not cope adequately
with
> British born black groups (obviously).
>
> Name search (shudder) from what I know about this it is worth steering
clear
> of. No capability to differentiate between immigrants and British born
> groups, unable to determine ethnicity, particularly in Muslim groups
(most
> Muslim names the same world over). My opinion is that if you are
prepared to
> use data that is less than perfect you should use the Exeter system
and at
> least have accurate data.
>
> There may also be some GP practices who collect data themselves out of
> interest or need (perhaps in an area with a high black/non-English
speaking
> population) again this info may have validity problems, but there may
be
> some brass 'mongst the muck
>
> Feel free to contact me for more details. I look forward to seeing the
> summary.
>
> Ben Jones
> PPDO
> Central Liverpool Primary Care Trust
> 0151 222 2963
>

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Colin M Fischbacher [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: 20 September 2002 09:55
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: using routine data
>
> Dear colleagues:
>
> Routine health data about minority ethnic groups is patchy at best and
as
> far as I am aware routine ethnic coding has yet to become widespread.
We
> are at the start of a project funded by the Scottish Executive though
the
> Public Health Institute of Scotland to see whether currently available
> routine data sources can provide better information about the health
of
> minority ethnic groups in Scotland. Among other things we plan to use
name
> search software to identify minority ethnic groups in health service
> databases. We are aware of the Nam Pehchan (JPHM 1999;21:401) and
SANGRA
> packages (JPHM 2001;23:278), but name searching has a long history -
some
> of the studies we are aware of are referenced at the foot of this
message
> but people may be aware of others. Name searching may not be the only
way
> to extract information about the health of minority ethnic groups.  We
> would be very interested to hear other's experiences and comments and
> would be happy to summarise them for the list.
>
> Colin Fischbacher
> Raj Bhopal
> Edinburgh
>
> Donaldson L, Taylor J. Patterns of Asian and non-Asian morbidity in
> hospitals. BMJ 1983;286:949-51.
> Nicoll A, Bassett K, Ulijaszek SJ. What's in a name? Accuracy of using
> surnames and forenames in ascribing Asian ethnic identity in English
> populations. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
1986;40(4):364-
> 368.
> Donaldson L. Health and social status of elderly Asians: a community
> survey. BMJ 1986;293:1079-82.
> Coldman A, Braun T, Gallagher R. The classification of ethnic status
using
> name information. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
1988;42:390-
> 395.
> Matheson L, Dunnigan M, Hole D, Gillis C. Incidence of colo-rectal,
breast
> and lung cancer in a Scottish Asian population. Health Bulletin
1990;43
> (5):245-49.
> Naish J, Sturdy P, Bobby J, Pereira F. The association between Asian
> ethnicity and prescribing rates in east London general practices: a
> database study. Health Informatics Journal 1997;3:100-105.
> Harland JO, White M, Bhopal RS, Raybould S, Unwin NC, Alberti KG.
> Identifying Chinese populations in the UK for epidemiological
research:
> experience of a name analysis of the FHSA register. Public Health
1997;111
> (5):331-7.
> Sheth T, Nargundkar M, Chagani K, Anand S, Nair C, Yusuf S.
Classifying
> ethnicity utilizing the Canadian Mortality Data Base. Ethnicity &
Health
> 1997;2(4):287-295.
> Martineau A, White M. What's not in a name. The accuracy of using
names to
> ascribe religious and geographical origin in a British population. J
> Epidemiol Community Health 1998;52:336-337.