Utility of administrative data

Administrative data can provide insight into healthcare system utilization, performance, and population health outcomes. We’re able to track a patient’s journey through the healthcare system by linking their hospitalizations, physician visits, and outpatient prescription drug dispensations. This data allows us to answer epidemiological questions about specific populations.

As we move through the rest of this module, you’ll learn about the different sources of data that are available to users, the key data elements that you’ll come across in drug safety and effectiveness protocols, the strengths and limitations of administrative data, and privacy and security matters surrounding data use.

Due to the inter-provincial differences in administrative health data, we’ve included a supplemental checklist that outlines the information you’ll want to learn about your own site’s data. Once complete, this Site Data Inventory will become a useful tool for you to reference while you become more familiar with your site’s data.