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Monday, October 18, 2004 - 10:55 AM
2

All Kids Count Connections Community of Practice Study of Deduplication Technology and Strategies for Integrated Child Health Information Systems

Susan M. Salkowitz, Salkowitz Associates, LLC, Two Independence Place, Unit 1601, 233 S. 6th Street, Philadelphia, PA, USA, Stephen Clyde, Computer Science Department, Utah State University, UMC 4205, Logan, UT, USA, and Ellen Wild, AKC- Connections, Task Force for Child Development and Survival, 750 Commerce Drive, Suite 400, Decatur, GA, USA.


BACKGROUND:
All Kids Count Connections is a community of practice of 11 state and local health departments developing integrated child health information systems. AKC Connections member projects differ in how they standardize data from various sources, identify records for the same child and coalesce these records (deduplication). Selecting cost-effective deduplication tools and strategies for their environments is essential for data quality assurance and the overall success of any integration project.

OBJECTIVE:
Conduct a domain analysis to research deduplication software and strategies used by AKC Connections members, analyze technology and conduct limited testing of off-the-shelf solutions, using the CDC-developed Deduplication Tool Kit, and document findings, showing underlying approach, effectiveness, cost and other factors.

METHOD:
Seven AKC Connections projects collaborated to develop a questionnaire assessing their current practices and issues. The study researched current technical literature, developed a method for evaluating deduplication strategies and software and compiled the findings.

RESULT:
The study provides a tool and a framework for projects to assess deduplication alternatives by comparing their requirements and results to the products and practices of similar projects.

CONCLUSION:
The study identified technical and non-technical factors that affect the efficacy of deduplication efforts and the ability to test and evaluate them. Access to knowledge and practices within a community of users is a critical success factor.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Learn how a community of practice enabled a collaborative study involving input from geographically distributed public health agencies. Understand technical and non-technical strategies for effective deduplication. Apply study findings as a framework to choose products and strategies that match project requirements.

[ Recorded presentation ]   Recorded presentation

See more of Connections: Experiences from All Kids Count's Communities of Practice
See more of The 2004 Immunization Registry Conference