Cotton Sue M, Menssink Jana M, Hamilton Matthew, Filia Kate M, Teo Shu Mei, Wang Mengmeng, Gan Dan Zq, Yu Wenhua, Watson Amity, Witt Katrina, Hasty Melissa, Moller Carl, Yung Alison, Gao Caroline X
Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
Orygen, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2025 Jul;59(7):588-601. doi: 10.1177/00048674251333574. Epub 2025 May 13.
Data linkage is a powerful tool for understanding the multifaceted needs and priorities of mental health care from the perspective of users and providers. Its potential remains underutilised in Australian settings - the Productivity Commission Inquiry into Mental Health in 2020 highlighted a significant gap: routinely collected administrative data are seldom leveraged in mental health research and service evaluation. In this manuscript, we provide insights into how data linkage has been used in mental health research, the type of questions that can be addressed, the steps involved in conducting data linkage research and the benefits and limitations of the use of this methodology. We propose crucial recommendations for advancing this field including: enhancing education for stakeholders (including the public, data custodians, ethics committees and policy makers); fostering stronger collaborative relationships with individuals with lived experiences throughout the research journey; improving infrastructure and resources for data linkage activities and linking data across sectors to address complex meaningful research questions. Data linkage is not just a method but a critical strategy to transform mental health research and service evaluation, ensuring more informed, effective and holistic mental health care.
数据关联是一种强大的工具，可从用户和提供者的角度了解心理健康护理的多方面需求和优先事项。在澳大利亚的环境中，其潜力仍未得到充分利用——2020年生产力委员会对心理健康的调查突出了一个重大差距：常规收集的行政数据很少用于心理健康研究和服务评估。在本手稿中，我们深入探讨了数据关联如何用于心理健康研究、可以解决的问题类型、进行数据关联研究涉及的步骤以及使用该方法的好处和局限性。我们为推进该领域提出了关键建议，包括：加强对利益相关者（包括公众、数据保管人、伦理委员会和政策制定者）的教育；在整个研究过程中与有生活经历的人建立更紧密的合作关系；改善数据关联活动的基础设施和资源，并跨部门链接数据以解决复杂而有意义的研究问题。数据关联不仅是一种方法，更是一种变革心理健康研究和服务评估的关键策略，可确保提供更明智、有效和全面的心理健康护理。
