The linkage process produces pairs of index numbes sometimes referred to as 'linkage keys', which are actually person numbers and pointers to the original administrative records.
Although probabilisticRelating to probability. In linkage, this is the measurement of the likelihood that certain pieces of information relate to the same entity. linkage needs personal identifying information (such as name, date of birth, address, gender) from each of the contributing data sources, the actual health or service details are stored and managed separately. This means that the Linkage Officers working on creating the links do not see what people are treated for in hospital or what type of cancer they may have. It also means that for the majority of research projects, a data analyst can see that a person went to hospital for a certain operation, but they don't know the identity of that person.