Data Holdings

Variable summary:

• Individual demographic information (e.g., birth date, sex, postal code)
• Physician information (e.g., specialty, ID number for linkage to the physician registry)
• Billing information & payment responsibility
• Diagnosis codes and procedure codes

More information:

* The 1995 and 1996 datasets contain many commonly used research variables and may be recommended for use depending on the requirements of a research project. 1989-1994 are available, however these datasets contain less than half the variables available from 1997 onward.

There is only one diagnosis code from 1989-1996, and only the first three digits (pre-decimal) were recorded. From 1997 forward, up to three diagnosis codes with no length restrictions are available.

Contact Katelyn Frizzell (kfrizzell@dal.ca) for data dictionary

Brief Variable summary:

• Linkage via encrypted health card number, prescriber ID, and/or unique prescription ID 
• Drugs coded with their DIN. Drug form, strength and container information available. 
• Prescription issues and refusals. 
• Dispense, process, and pickup dates

Limitations :

 Certain facilities do not report to the DIS, and the DIS does not automatically collect certain types of information about medications or devices. Providers are encouraged to add additional information, however it is not required. Examples of information which is not automatically collected are listed below: 

• hospital in-patient medications 
• prescriptions for long term care facilities not serviced by a community pharmacy 
• medical supplies / devices provided by stand-alone Home Health Care retailers 
• prescriptions dispensed by Canadian Forces base pharmacies (e.g. CFB Halifax) 
• prescriptions dispensed to correctional centres / penitentiaries not serviced by a community pharmacy 
• over-the-counter medications 
• devices not dispensed by a community pharmacy 
• natural health products 
• drug samples 
• prescriptions dispensed by out-of-province pharmacies 
• prescriptions dispensed through hospital pharmacies to out-patients or through hospital-based clinics 

More information:

• Prescriptions filled in hospital pharmacies are not included at this time
• Dispense costs/fees are not recorded in the DIS

Variable summary:

• Individual demographic information (e.g., birth date, sex, postal code)
• Drug/prescription information (din number, generic number, quantity dispensed)
• Billing information & payment responsibility (e.g., dispensary fees, co-pay, markup)
• 32 variables

Contact Katelyn Frizzell (kfrizzell@dal.ca) for data dictionary

Variable summary:

Both ASD and the DAD contain:

• patient demographics (age, gender, location, etc.)
• attending physicians
• diagnoses and procedures performed

The DAD data sets also contains information on:

• service transfers while in hospital
• specialty services received (e.g., physiotherapy, occupational therapy)
• case complexity (e.g., resource intensity weight)

More information:

Data are collected on separations with a discharge date between April 1 and March 31 of the given fiscal year. For example, if an individual is admitted to a hospital during March 2012 and is discharged in April 2012, the record will be in the FY 2013 dataset.

The CIHI DAD metadata is proprietary to CIHI, and is available on their website.

Variable summary:

• Individual demographic information (e.g., birth date, sex, postal code)
• Physician information (e.g., specialty, ID number for linkage to the physician registry)
• Submission level code (level 1, 2 or 3)
• Diagnosis codes and procedure codes
• Triage date/time and level
• Registration date/time 

More information:

Most day surgeries in Nova Scotia are in the CIHI DAD prior to FY 2011. Currently all hospitals collect day surgery information using NACRS.

Not all facilities collect ED information using NACRS and the data cannot be extrapolated from one facility to another.

ED information is collected using one of two levels of NACRS – Level 1 or Level 3. The field Submission Level Code in the database tells you which level of NACRS is being used.

There is no clinical data (diagnosis or intervention) collected with Level 1.

The province has not mandated collection of ED information using NACRS at this time.

Hospitals began collecting ED information at different times and some have started and stopped before completing a year.

The CIHI NACRS metadata is proprietary to CIHI, and is available on their website.

Variable summary:

• MASTER: Demographic information such as gender and date of birth
• ELIGIB: Insured Health Benefits program eligibility start/end dates
• POSTAL: Individual geography (county, postal code, Canada Post community)

Contact Katelyn Frizzell (kfrizzell@dal.ca) for data dictionary

Variable summary:

• DOCS: Date of birth, place of birth, sex, provider type
  
• EDUC: Education, graduation year, name of school, specialty received
  
• OPTIN: Eligibility start & end dates, the period during which the physician was licensed to practice in Nova Scotia
  

More information:

The first DOCS dataset is created with data from the year 1995. However, since the data are cumulative, opt in/out records from 1969 onward are available.

There are no variable labels in the OPTIN dataset.

Contact Katelyn Frizzell (kfrizzell@dal.ca) for data dictionary

Variable summary:

Underlying and supporting causes of death, place of birth, place of residence, age, sex, marital status, hospital, autopsy and/or medical exam performed.

More information:

*The 1996 data set is cumulative from the year 1990. The data sets for 1997 onward are not cumulative.

Contact Katelyn Frizzell (kfrizzell@dal.ca) for data dictionary

Variable summary:

• Patient long-term care facility
• From dates and to dates

More information:

Currently, HDNS only has access to EGROUP records for nursing homes in the province. However, we are hoping to access other groups such as the veteran’s records in the future.

Contact Katelyn Frizzell (kfrizzell@dal.ca) for data dictionary