Incremental Privacy-Preserving Record Linkage (iPPRL) to Reduce Barriers to Data Sharing and Improve Data Quality [Methods Study], Colorado, 2011-2022

Researchers often have trouble collecting complete information on patient health, as patients may receive care at different places. Linking patient records from different places may help researchers get a more complete picture.
One way to link records is through personal information, such as names and birth dates. But this method increases risks to patient privacy. Another way, known as privacy-preserving record linkage, or PPRL, masks personal information. But current PPRL methods only work when linking entire sets of patient data, including data that have already been shared and linked. Linking entire data sets takes a long time. Also, sharing the same records multiple times increases data privacy risks.
In this study, the research team developed and tested a new PPRL method called incremental PPRL. This method links only new or updated data rather than re-linking entire data sets.