Table 2 Comparison of linkage strategies for the bespoke algorithm and ReclinkIII
Bespoke algorithm | ReclinkIII | |
|---|---|---|
Manipulation of names | • Multiple variables created for first name, second name, and last name | • Variables created for first and last name |
Blocking | • Municipality | • Soundex for name + municipality |
Calculation of m and u probabilities | • m-probability: calculated using true-matches in gold-standard • u- probability: calculated using non-matches in SINAN | • m-probabilities = 0.9 • u-probabilities = 0.1 |
Match weight calculation | • Separate weights calculated for the five most common names • Agreement on name classified using Jaro-Winkler string comparator • Different weights calculated according to closeness of age. | • Did not account for common names • Levenshtein string comparator • Did not account for timing issues |