Modelling of errors in databases

A lot of time and energy are expended assembling national databases containing information about health care processes and outcomes. Unfortunately, given the complexity of the data gathering procedures involved, errors occur. This inevitably leads to problems when it comes to the analysis of data from such sources. Indeed, sometimes it is very much a matter of faith that summary statistics represent a true reflection of the facts. On the assumption that one knows the rates at which different forms of errors occur, mathematical modelling methods can be used to obtain estimates of the effects of such errors on the estimates that would be derived for summary statistics associated with an erroneous data base.