State and Territory collections

Record linkage

State-based Data Linkage Units conduct separate probabilistic linkages with ALSWH cohorts (see ALSWH linked data sources for details of the collections and organisations involved).

Each State and Territory dataset is distinct in terms of its content (more information about state collections may be found on the PHRN website). Due to processing times we generally aim to update state collections every other year.

See “ALSWH coverage (collection x cohort)” in the resources list for details of state/territory holdings.

  ALSWH only receives a selection of variables from any given collection. While we attempt to align variables across jurisdictions, we are limited not only by what is actually collected, but also by what is offered to external projects. In addition, not all state collections include records from private hospitals.  Refer to the ALSWH Linked Data Variable Request Form for details of all collections.

Hospital Admissions

Available for all states and all cohorts. Not all collections include private hospital records (ACT, NT, SA and Tasmanian collections only cover nominated public hospitals).

Emergency Department

Available for all states and all cohorts. Public hospitals only are included; coverage of public hospitals is limited in most jurisdictions (e.g. includes only major or metropolitan hospitals).

Perinatal

Maternal Perinatal data are linked for the 1989-95 and 1973-78 Cohorts, including mothers and children in the Mothers and their Children’s Health (MatCH) Substudy.

Perinatal data are available for all states*, and cover all births, wherever they occur, except for ACT (records are from a single public hospital) and NT (records from private facilities are only included from 2014 on).

*Please note that due to specific legislative constraints, ALSWH data from the the Victorian Perinatal Data Collection only include women who have expressly consented to health record linkage  (i.e. almost all of the 1989-95 Cohort, and 70% of the 1973-78 Cohort). The time frame for approvals for new projects and researchers is currently at least 6 months.