Certified Tumor Registrar (CTR) Practice Exam

What is the term for the process whereby Central Registry A matched its data with the Department of Motor Vehicles data in state A?

1. Case ascertainment

2. Data linkage

3. Death clearance

4. Record consolidation

The correct answer is: Data linkage

The process referred to in the question, where Central Registry A matches its data with the Department of Motor Vehicles data in state A, is known as data linkage. This term is used to describe the technique of connecting and integrating information from different sources to ensure that the datasets are aligned and provide a comprehensive view of the information. Data linkage is crucial for organizations such as cancer registries, as it enhances the accuracy and completeness of the data collected. By linking data from the Department of Motor Vehicles, Central Registry A can verify vital statistics, confirm patient demographics, and ensure that patients who have passed away are correctly identified. This process allows registries to maintain high-quality data, which is essential for cancer surveillance and research. Other terms, while related to data management, do not encapsulate this specific action of matching and integrating data. Case ascertainment refers to the methods used to identify and account for cases within a defined population. Death clearance typically involves processes used to ensure that all deaths are accurately recorded in the registry, and record consolidation relates to combining multiple records for the same entity into a singular representation. Thus, the correct term for the process described is data linkage, as it specifically denotes the integration of data from different sources to enhance the completeness and reliability of the