ASSET NZ – AcceSS and Equity in Transplantation

The ASSET project aims to use data linkage of existing health and administrative data in New Zealand, to create a platform for investigating issues of equity in delivery of health services for kidney transplantation. We are interested in investigating the impact of social determinants of health on access to transplantation services, waiting times for transplantation, and post-transplant outcomes. The first three studies we plan from the ASSET project will: investigate the dynamics and flow of people being waitlisted, and once on the waitlisted for a kidney transplant; to look at the impact of serious mental health co-morbidity on access to transplantation for New Zealanders with end stage kidney disease; and to evaluate health outcomes and health service utilization following live kidney donation.

For more information about this project visit: https://assetkidneyresearch.org

ASSET NZ – AcceSS and Equity in Transplantation, New Zealand

Research Publications

2024

Angela Webster Johanna Birrell, Nicholas Cross

Geographic variation in kidney failure and transplantation in Aotearoa New Zealand: A population-based data linkage study Journal Article

In: Nephrology (Carlton), 2024.

Links | BibTeX

2022

Cutting, Rachel B.; Webster, Angela C.; Cross, Nicholas B.; Dunckley, Heather; Beaglehole, Ben; Dittmer, Ian; Irvine, John; Walker, Curtis; Jones, Merryn; Wyld, Melanie; Kelly, Patrick J.; Wyburn, Kate; Mata, Nicole L. De La

AcceSS and Equity in Transplantation (ASSET) New Zealand: Protocol for population-wide data linkage platform to investigate equity in access to kidney failure health services in New Zealand Journal Article

In: PLoS ONE, vol. 17, no. 8, 2022, ISSN: 1932-6203.

Abstract | Links | BibTeX

@article{Cutting2022,

title = {AcceSS and Equity in Transplantation (ASSET) New Zealand: Protocol for population-wide data linkage platform to investigate equity in access to kidney failure health services in New Zealand},

author = {Rachel B. Cutting and Angela C. Webster and Nicholas B. Cross and Heather Dunckley and Ben Beaglehole and Ian Dittmer and John Irvine and Curtis Walker and Merryn Jones and Melanie Wyld and Patrick J. Kelly and Kate Wyburn and Nicole L. De La Mata},

editor = {Justyna Gołębiewska},

doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0273371},

issn = {1932-6203},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-08-25},

urldate = {2022-08-25},

journal = {PLoS ONE},

volume = {17},

number = {8},

publisher = {Public Library of Science (PLoS)},

abstract = {<jats:sec id="sec001">

<jats:title>Background</jats:title>

<jats:p>Kidney transplantation is considered the ideal treatment for most people with kidney failure, conferring both survival and quality of life advantages, and is more cost effective than dialysis. Yet, current health systems may serve some people better than others, creating inequities in access to kidney failure treatments and health outcomes. AcceSS and Equity in Transplantation (ASSET) investigators aim to create a linked data platform to facilitate research enquiry into equity of health service delivery for people with kidney failure in New Zealand.</jats:p>

</jats:sec>

<jats:sec id="sec002">

<jats:title>Methods</jats:title>

<jats:p>The New Zealand Ministry of Health will use patients’ National Health Index (NHI) numbers to deterministically link individual records held in existing registry and administrative health databases in New Zealand to create the data platform. The initial data linkage will include a study population of incident patients captured in the Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry (ANZDATA), New Zealand Blood Service Database and the Australia and New Zealand Living Kidney Donor Registry (ANZLKD) from 2006 to 2019 and their linked health data. Health data sources will include National Non-Admitted Patient Collection Data, National Minimum Dataset, Cancer Registry, Programme for the Integration of Mental Health Data (PRIMHD), Pharmaceutical Claims Database and Mortality Collection Database. Initial exemplar studies include 1) kidney waitlist dynamics and pathway to transplantation; 2) impact of mental illness on accessing kidney waitlist and transplantation; 3) health service use of living donors following donation.</jats:p>

</jats:sec>

<jats:sec id="sec003">

<jats:title>Conclusion</jats:title>

<jats:p>The AcceSS and Equity in Transplantation (ASSET) linked data platform will provide opportunity for population-based health services research to examine equity in health care delivery and health outcomes in New Zealand. It also offers potential to inform future service planning by identifying where improvements can be made in the current health system to promote equity in access to health services for those in New Zealand.</jats:p>

</jats:sec>},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

Background
Kidney transplantation is considered the ideal treatment for most people with kidney failure, conferring both survival and quality of life advantages, and is more cost effective than dialysis. Yet, current health systems may serve some people better than others, creating inequities in access to kidney failure treatments and health outcomes. AcceSS and Equity in Transplantation (ASSET) investigators aim to create a linked data platform to facilitate research enquiry into equity of health service delivery for people with kidney failure in New Zealand.

Methods
The New Zealand Ministry of Health will use patients’ National Health Index (NHI) numbers to deterministically link individual records held in existing registry and administrative health databases in New Zealand to create the data platform. The initial data linkage will include a study population of incident patients captured in the Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry (ANZDATA), New Zealand Blood Service Database and the Australia and New Zealand Living Kidney Donor Registry (ANZLKD) from 2006 to 2019 and their linked health data. Health data sources will include National Non-Admitted Patient Collection Data, National Minimum Dataset, Cancer Registry, Programme for the Integration of Mental Health Data (PRIMHD), Pharmaceutical Claims Database and Mortality Collection Database. Initial exemplar studies include 1) kidney waitlist dynamics and pathway to transplantation; 2) impact of mental illness on accessing kidney waitlist and transplantation; 3) health service use of living donors following donation.

Conclusion
The AcceSS and Equity in Transplantation (ASSET) linked data platform will provide opportunity for population-based health services research to examine equity in health care delivery and health outcomes in New Zealand. It also offers potential to inform future service planning by identifying where improvements can be made in the current health system to promote equity in access to health services for those in New Zealand.