The Danish Civil Registration System as a tool in epidemiology

Abstract

The methodological advances in epidemiology have facilitated the use of the Danish Civil Registration System (CRS) in ways not previously described systematically. We reviewed the CRS and its use as a research tool in epidemiology. We obtained information from the Danish Law on Civil Registration and the Central Office of Civil Registration, and used existing literature to provide illustrative examples of its use. The CRS is an administrative register established on April 2, 1968. It contains individual-level information on all persons residing in Denmark (and Greenland as of May 1, 1972). By January 2014, the CRS had cumulatively registered 9.5 million individuals and more than 400 million person-years of follow-up. A unique ten-digit Civil Personal Register number assigned to all persons in the CRS allows for technically easy, cost-effective, and unambiguous individual-level record linkage of Danish registers. Daily updated information on migration and vital status allows for nationwide cohort studies with virtually complete long-term follow-up on emigration and death. The CRS facilitates sampling of general population comparison cohorts, controls in case-control studies, family cohorts, and target groups in population surveys. The data in the CRS are virtually complete, have high accuracy, and can be retrieved for research purposes while protecting the anonymity of Danish residents. In conclusion, the CRS is a key tool for epidemiological research in Denmark.

Association Between Screen-Detected Gallstone Disease and Cancer in a Cohort Study

“…The Danish Central Person Registry contains daily updated information on migration and vital status of the entire nation. 37 All 3 registers have been validated. [35][36][37] The National Patient Registry, The Danish Register of Causes of Death, and The Danish Central Person Registry were updated December 31, 2014, December 31, 2013, and December 13, 2015, respectively.…”

“…37 All 3 registers have been validated. [35][36][37] The National Patient Registry, The Danish Register of Causes of Death, and The Danish Central Person Registry were updated December 31, 2014, December 31, 2013, and December 13, 2015, respectively. Entry in this study was defined as the date of ultrasound examination and all study participants were followed until the date of either a diagnosis or death of cancer, death of other causes, emigration, loss to follow-up, or censored at end of study, whichever came first (Figure 1).…”

Developing and implementing national health identifiers in resource limited countries: why, what, who, when and how?

“…Over time the number of users and the types or sensitivity of data released may increase, in a transparent manner, while monitoring outcomes and being sensitive to the level of public concern. Denmark is an example of a country that that has made a lot of progress in this area [41]. …”

Ophthalmic nepafenac use in the Netherlands and Denmark

“…The Central Person Registry contains records of deaths and migrations, which allowed us to follow patients appropriately (Schmidt et al. 2014). Data sources were linked by the civil registry number, a unique identifier assigned to all Danish residents since 1968 (Schmidt et al.…”

“…Data sources were linked by the civil registry number, a unique identifier assigned to all Danish residents since 1968 (Schmidt et al. 2014). …”