Health care client identification

Identifying and definitional attributes
Metadata item type:	Data Set Specification
METEOR identifier:	273055
Registration status:	Health, Superseded 04/05/2005
DSS type:	Data Set Specification (DSS)
Scope:	The collection of data based on this metadata set is voluntary. The data elements specified in this metadata set provide a framework for improving the positive identification of persons in health care organisations. This metadata set applies in respect of all potential or actual clients of the Australian health care system. It defines demographic and other identifying data elements suited to capture and use for person identification in health care settings. The objectives in collecting the data elements in this metadata set are to promote uniformly good practice in: identifying individuals, recording identifying data so as to ensure that each individual's health records will be associated with that individual and no other. The process of positively identifying people within a health care service delivery context entails matching data supplied by those individuals against data the service provider holds about them. The positive and unique identification of health care clients is a critical event in health service delivery, with direct implications for the safety and quality of health care. There are many barriers to successfully identifying individuals in health care settings, including variable data quality; differing data capture requirements and mechanisms; and varying data matching methods. These definitions provide a base for improving the confidence of health service providers and clients alike that the data being associated with any given individual, and upon which clinical decisions are made, is appropriately associated.

Collection and usage attributes

Collection methods:

This metadata set is primarily concerned with the clinical use of Health care client identification data. It should be used by health and health related establishments that create, use or maintain, records on health care clients. Establishments should use this metadata set, where appropriate, for collecting data when registering health care clients or potential health care clients.

National reporting arrangements

Collectors of this metadata set should refer to relevant privacy legislation, codes of fair information practice and other guidelines so as not to breach personal privacy in their collection, use, storage and disclosure of health care client information. There is no comprehensive privacy legislation covering both the public and private sectors across Australia so users need to consider their particular set of circumstances (i.e. location and sector) and whether privacy legislation covers those circumstances. A Commonwealth legislative scheme applies to the private sector. Users may refer to the Federal Privacy Commissioner's web site for assistance in complying with their privacy obligations. In the public sector, in instances where no legislation, code of fair information practice or other guidelines covers the particular circumstances, users should refer to Australian Standard (AS) 4400 Personal privacy protection in health care information systems.

Public sector agencies should refer to relevant legislation and regulations pertaining to state and territory records so as not to breach their obligations regarding the creation and retention of public records.

Comments:

Data element Address line, version 1 is in DRAFT status. This data element may be viewed on the Knowledgebase.

Scope links with other metadata sets

Collection of information in national minimum data sets.

Source and reference attributes

Submitting organisation:

Standards Australia Inc.

Relational attributes

Related metadata references:

Metadata items in this Data Set Specification

Show more detail

Seq No.	Metadata item	Obligation	Max occurs
-	Birth event—birth plurality, code N	Conditional	1
-	Birth event—state/territory of birth, code N	Conditional	1
-	Birth—birth order, code N	Mandatory	1
-	Establishment—organisation identifier (Australian), NNX[X]NNNNN	Mandatory	1
-	Establishment—organisation identifier (state/territory), NNNNN *DSS specific information:* Establishment number should be a unique code for the health care establishment used in that state/territory or uniquely at a national level.	Mandatory	1
-	Establishment—region identifier, X[X]	Mandatory	1
-	Establishment—sector, code N	Mandatory	1
-	Person (address)—address type, code A	Conditional	1
-	Person (address)—Australian postcode (Postcode datafile), code NNN[N]	Mandatory	1
-	Person (address)—health address line, text X[X(179)]	Mandatory	1
-	Person (address)—postal delivery point identifier, {N(8)} *DSS specific information:* Field may be blank (where the person's address is not a recognised Australia Post delivery address).	Mandatory	1
-	Person (address)—suburb/town/locality name, text A[A(49)]	Mandatory	1
-	Person (identifier)—identifier type, geographic/administrative scope code A	Mandatory	1
-	Person (name)—family name, text X[X(39)]	Mandatory	1
-	Person (name)—given name, text X[X(39)]	Mandatory	99
-	Person (name)—name context flag, code N *DSS specific information:* Valid codes or blank.	Mandatory	1
-	Person (name)—name suffix, text A[A(11)] *DSS specific information:* More than one Name suffix may be collected. Use a single space between each suffix.	Mandatory	1
-	Person (name)—name title, text A[A(11)] *DSS specific information:* The Name title for Master should only be used for persons less than 15 years of age. Name titles for Doctor and Professor should only be applicable to persons of greater than 20 years of age.	Mandatory	1
-	Person (name)—name type, code A	Mandatory	1
-	Person (telephone)—telephone number type, code A	Mandatory	99
-	Person—Australian state/territory identifier, Health care client code N	Mandatory	1
-	Person—country of birth, code (SACC 1998) NNNN *DSS specific information:* County of birth for newborn babies should be 'Australia'.	Mandatory	1
-	Person—date of birth, DDMMYYYY *DSS specific information:* Any new information collection systems should allow for 0000YYYY (refer to Standards Australia AS5017-2002 Health Care Client Identification).	Mandatory	1
-	Person—government funding identifier, Centrelink customer reference number {N(9)A}	Mandatory	1
-	Person—government funding identifier, Medicare card number N(11)	Mandatory	1
-	Person—Indigenous status, code N	Mandatory	1
-	Person—mother’s original family name, text X[X(39)]	Mandatory	1
-	Person—person identifier (within establishment/agency), XXXXXX[X(14)] *DSS specific information:* Field cannot be blank.	Mandatory	1
-	Person—sex, code N *DSS specific information:* Code 3,'Intersex or indeterminate': Should be confirmed if reported for people aged 90 days or greater. Diagnosis and procedure codes should be checked against the national ICD-10-AM sex edits, unless the person is undergoing, or has undergone a sex change as detailed in the Value domain's Collection methods or has a genetic condition resulting in a conflict between sex and ICD-10-AM code.	Mandatory	1
-	Person—telephone number, text X[X(39)] *DSS specific information:* Numbers and spaces only.	Mandatory	1

Health care client identification

Identifying and definitional attributes

Collection and usage attributes

Source and reference attributes

Relational attributes

Metadata items in this Data Set Specification

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