Based on the work of the Getting Our Story Right (GOSR) project, the WA Department of Health Data Linkage Services team can generate a Derived Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Status Flag.
A validated algorithm is used to create this flag for any individual with at least one record in a number of WA government administrative data sets where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status is recorded.
The algorithm uses the information from several records in an individual’s chain to produce an overall derived Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status of “Yes”, “No” or “Missing”, for that individual.
Datasets used to derive Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status include:
- WA Birth Registrations
- WA Death Registrations
- Midwives Notifications
- Hospital Morbidity Data Collection Records
- Emergency Department Data Collection Records
The number of records used to assign this information is varied depending on the number and type of datasets and records in the chain. Data recipients must note that their project could receive data for an individual where data sets provided report an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Status of ‘NO’ but the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Status Flag is ‘YES’. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Status Flag indicates what status is indicative of a person from all available collections/records and therefore may be different to what is reported in a specific record or collection.
For more information on the Getting Our Story Right Project, a peer reviewed publication is available: