As this document is written (September 2009) the Norwegian Patient Register (NPR) can not make individual-level data available for research purposes. Nevertheless, in the future we will collect longitudinal and individual-level data from NPR and the Central Population Register which will be linked on the basis of each individual’s 11-digit personal identification number.. On the basis of these data life-histories for the entire Norwegian population (currently estimated at ca. 4.7 million) can be constructed in order to calculate the incidence rates for each diagnosis code considered.

 

The NPR register is currently under construction and validation. There exists information on all episodes of each diagnosis code (ICD-10) for each individual hospitalisation from 1st of March 2007 through April 2009. Validation of data for the period 1 January 2008 – 30 April 2009 is ongoing. Only 40% of the material has been validated so far. The NPR authorities will not make their data open for research before the whole material is validated. It is not likely that this will happen during 2009.
What we can offer to the project during the fall of 2009 is annual age (5-year age-groups) and sex-specific rates of hospitalisation utilization for each diagnosis codes for the 9 calendar years in the period 2000-2008. These rates will be calculated in Excel (not in Jerboa) using aggregate-level (not individual) data from NPR. The numerators (events) do not separate first from later instances of hospitalisation for each diagnosis considered. In theory, one person can thus have had multiple discharges for the same diagnosis during a calendar year. The denominators are aggregate age- and sex specific mid-year populations at risk (not the sum of individual person-years for each sex by age).
NPR will on average deliver aggregate-level data 30 days after receiving a specific order. Ethics approval is not needed.

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