Page 61 - S. Ličen, I. Karnjuš, & M. Prosen (Eds.). (2019). Women, migrations and health: Ensuring transcultural healthcare. Koper, University of Primorska Press.
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Working on Epidemiological Data:
Problems Encountered
and Lessons Learned
Giovanni Delli Zotti
University of Trieste, Italy
giovanni.dellizotti@dispes.units.it
In addition to the epidemiological analysis of hospital admissions and outpa-
tient services, the INTEGRA Project envisages the development of a sexual and
reproductive health index that aims to identify situations at risk or which re-
quire ‘targeted’ interventions. This implies the need to identify suitable indi-
cators, whose characteristics are described in the first part of the article, with
reference to the specific needs of the INTEGRA Project. A discussion follows
on the distinction between micro and macro level indicators and some exam-
ples are illustrated. Some problems found by analyzing the Hospital Discharge
Cards are then described and some solutions are proposed. A final specific
topic concerns the implications of the transition from a database having ‘hos-
pital demission’ as unit of analysis to a data archive based on ‘patient’ as the
unit of analysis.
Introduction
The INTEGRA Project, in addition to the epidemiological analysis of hospi-
talizations and outpatient services provided, foresees the development of a
Sexual and Reproductive Health Index that aims to identify situations at risk
or which require ‘targeted’ interventions. Being a ‘health’ index, high values
would indicate the absence of criticality; on the contrary, low values would
signal more or less severe problems that need to be removed. Alternatively,
an index of ‘pathology’ might be developed; however, it is more effective to
‘think positive’ and, after all, ‘health’ is the word used in international doc-
uments, starting from The Beijing Declaration promoted by the United Na-
tions in 1995. The Declaration included the recognition of the human rights of
women as integral to the achievement of optimal health and well-being: ‘The
human rights of women include their right to have control over and decide
freely and responsibly on matters related to their sexuality, including sexual
and reproductive health, free of coercion, discrimination and violence. Equal
relationships between women and men in matters of sexual relations and
reproduction, including full respect for the integrity of the person, require
59
Problems Encountered
and Lessons Learned
Giovanni Delli Zotti
University of Trieste, Italy
giovanni.dellizotti@dispes.units.it
In addition to the epidemiological analysis of hospital admissions and outpa-
tient services, the INTEGRA Project envisages the development of a sexual and
reproductive health index that aims to identify situations at risk or which re-
quire ‘targeted’ interventions. This implies the need to identify suitable indi-
cators, whose characteristics are described in the first part of the article, with
reference to the specific needs of the INTEGRA Project. A discussion follows
on the distinction between micro and macro level indicators and some exam-
ples are illustrated. Some problems found by analyzing the Hospital Discharge
Cards are then described and some solutions are proposed. A final specific
topic concerns the implications of the transition from a database having ‘hos-
pital demission’ as unit of analysis to a data archive based on ‘patient’ as the
unit of analysis.
Introduction
The INTEGRA Project, in addition to the epidemiological analysis of hospi-
talizations and outpatient services provided, foresees the development of a
Sexual and Reproductive Health Index that aims to identify situations at risk
or which require ‘targeted’ interventions. Being a ‘health’ index, high values
would indicate the absence of criticality; on the contrary, low values would
signal more or less severe problems that need to be removed. Alternatively,
an index of ‘pathology’ might be developed; however, it is more effective to
‘think positive’ and, after all, ‘health’ is the word used in international doc-
uments, starting from The Beijing Declaration promoted by the United Na-
tions in 1995. The Declaration included the recognition of the human rights of
women as integral to the achievement of optimal health and well-being: ‘The
human rights of women include their right to have control over and decide
freely and responsibly on matters related to their sexuality, including sexual
and reproductive health, free of coercion, discrimination and violence. Equal
relationships between women and men in matters of sexual relations and
reproduction, including full respect for the integrity of the person, require
59
