Accuracy and reliability

Overall accuracy

Since the information originates from the statutory administration, the accuracy is considered to be high.

In assessing whether a service should be included under contacts, there is an element of lack of accuracy.

The register also includes information about services given to persons without a valid civil registration number – typically foreigners. For these persons, it is not possible to break down on sex and age.

Sampling error

Not relevant for these statistics.

Non-sampling error

Measurement error in connection with changes in collective agreement, when it is assessed whether new services are to be counted as contacts or not. Measurement error if there are services in the register which do not exist in the tariff folder from http://www.okportal.dk.

Up to and including 1995, 0-15 year-old children did not have their own national health insurance card, but were registered under the accompanying adult’s civil registration number and given a special mark to indicate that the service was provided to a child. However, this has not been done in all instances. For this reason, the statistics include an unknown number of men and presumably even more women who should have been registered as children. Another issue that contributes to the underestimated number of children is the fact that an adult who has visited the physician with several children or with the same child on multiple occasions during the year, only appears as one person (one child). From 1996 onwards, all persons – except for unnamed new-born babies – have their own national health insurance card with their own civil registration number under which they should be registered. In spite of this, a minor group of children are still reported under the civil registration number of the accompanying adult. It implies a further risk of double counting of these children, as they may first have been registered under the civil registration number of an adult and subsequently under their own civil registration number.

Quality management

Statistics Denmark follows the recommendations on organisation and management of quality given in the Code of Practice for European Statistics (CoP) and the implementation guidelines given in the Quality Assurance Framework of the European Statistical System (QAF). A Working Group on Quality and a central quality assurance function have been established to continuously carry through control of products and processes.

Quality assurance

Statistics Denmark follows the principles in the Code of Practice for European Statistics (CoP) and uses the Quality Assurance Framework of the European Statistical System (QAF) for the implementation of the principles. This involves continuous decentralized and central control of products and processes based on documentation following international standards. The central quality assurance function reports to the Working Group on Quality. Reports include suggestions for improvement that are assessed, decided and subsequently implemented.

Quality assessment

Statistics Denmark estimates that data from Det Fælleskommunale Afregningsregister (the joint municipal settlement register) (public health insurance register) is of high quality. Changes in the collective agreement services from one year to the next may imply some uncertainty in the calculation of contacts.

Data revision - policy

Statistics Denmark revises published figures in accordance with the Revision Policy for Statistics Denmark. The common procedures and principles of the Revision Policy are for some statistics supplemented by a specific revision practice.

Data revision practice

Only final figures are published. As an exception, Visits to physicians etc. 2014 has undergone revisions in socio-economic status from 2009 and income distribution from 2011 due to revision of the source.