A Review of Studies Using Japanese Nationwide Administrative Claims Databases

Overview

Journal Ann Clin Epidemiol

Specialty General Medicine

Date 2024 Mar 20

PMID 38505730

Authors

So Sato

Hideo Yasunaga

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Administrative claims databases are increasingly being used worldwide for research purposes. We reviewed original published articles that used one of the four nationwide administrative claims databases in Japan: the National Database of Health Insurance Claims and Specific Health Checkups (NDB), NDB Open Data, the JMDC Claims Database, and the Diagnosis Procedure Combination (DPC) database.

Methods: Studies published from January 2010 to July 2022 using the JMDC and DPC databases, and from January 2013 to July 2022 using the NDB and NDB Open Data were identified using PubMed. The number of original articles was divided into 19 fields. The annual growth rate of the number of studies was calculated using the four databases.

Results: Overall, 1047 studies were included (95 for the NDB, 31 for the NDB Open Data, 222 for the JMDC database, and 699 for the DPC databases). Studies using one of these four databases increased from around 2010, and the average annual growth rate was approximately 41% from 2010 to 2021. DPC database studies had a higher proportion of articles on surgery (19.2%), urology (3.0%), neurosurgery (6.2%), anesthesiology (1.9%), and emergency medicine (14.0%), whereas the NDB and JMDC data had higher proportions of those regarding internal medicine.

Conclusions: Since 2010, these four databases have increasingly attracted attention, and the number of studies using them has grown rapidly. Our review suggests that each has unique features, and researchers should understand the database characteristics to operate their studies.

Citing Articles

Determination of Lifestyle Habits Correlating to the Prevalence of Hypertension, Diabetes, and Dyslipidemia by the Analysis of Health-Related Questionnaire Datasets in Japanese Nationwide Open Data.

Nagakura Y, Yamaki F, Saimaru H, Kase Y Cureus. 2025; 17(1):e77105.

PMID: 39917101 PMC: 11802258. DOI: 10.7759/cureus.77105.

Leveraging Administrative Health Databases to Address Health Challenges in Farming Populations: Scoping Review and Bibliometric Analysis (1975-2024).

Petit P, Vuillerme N JMIR Public Health Surveill. 2025; 11:e62939.

PMID: 39787587 PMC: 11757986. DOI: 10.2196/62939.

Updated information on the Diagnosis Procedure Combination data.

Yasunaga H Ann Clin Epidemiol. 2024; 6(4):106-110.

PMID: 39726797 PMC: 11668689. DOI: 10.37737/ace.24015.

Diagnostic validity and solute-corrected prevalence for hyponatremia and hypernatremia among 1 813 356 admissions.

Okada A, Yamana H, Watanabe H, Manaka K, Ono S, Kurakawa K Clin Kidney J. 2024; 17(12):sfae319.

PMID: 39664986 PMC: 11630772. DOI: 10.1093/ckj/sfae319.

Letter to the Editor: "Real-World Effectiveness of Ensitrelvir in Reducing Severe Outcomes in Outpatients at High Risk for COVID-19".

Hagiya H Infect Dis Ther. 2024; 13(11):2461-2462.

PMID: 39316327 PMC: 11499574. DOI: 10.1007/s40121-024-01053-7.

References

Yasunaga H, Horiguchi H, Kuwabara K, Matsuda S, Fushimi K, Hashimoto H . Outcomes after laparoscopic or open distal gastrectomy for early-stage gastric cancer: a propensity-matched analysis. Ann Surg. 2012; 257(4):640-6. DOI: 10.1097/SLA.0b013e31826fd541. View

Okumura Y, Sakata N, Takahashi K, Nishi D, Tachimori H . Epidemiology of overdose episodes from the period prior to hospitalization for drug poisoning until discharge in Japan: An exploratory descriptive study using a nationwide claims database. J Epidemiol. 2017; 27(8):373-380. PMC: 5549249. DOI: 10.1016/j.je.2016.08.010. View

Shigemi D, Morishima T, Yamana H, Yasunaga H, Miyashiro I . Validity of initial cancer diagnoses in the Diagnosis Procedure Combination data in Japan. Cancer Epidemiol. 2021; 74:102016. DOI: 10.1016/j.canep.2021.102016. View

Fujinaga J, Fukuoka T . A Review of Research Studies Using Data from the Administrative Claims Databases in Japan. Drugs Real World Outcomes. 2022; 9(4):543-550. PMC: 9712845. DOI: 10.1007/s40801-022-00331-5. View

Nagai K, Tanaka T, Kodaira N, Kimura S, Takahashi Y, Nakayama T . Data resource profile: JMDC claims databases sourced from Medical Institutions. J Gen Fam Med. 2020; 21(6):211-218. PMC: 7689231. DOI: 10.1002/jgf2.367. View

Hoffmann F . Review on use of German health insurance medication claims data for epidemiological research. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2009; 18(5):349-56. DOI: 10.1002/pds.1721. View

Yamana H, Moriwaki M, Horiguchi H, Kodan M, Fushimi K, Yasunaga H . Validity of diagnoses, procedures, and laboratory data in Japanese administrative data. J Epidemiol. 2017; 27(10):476-482. PMC: 5602797. DOI: 10.1016/j.je.2016.09.009. View

Schneeweiss S, Avorn J . A review of uses of health care utilization databases for epidemiologic research on therapeutics. J Clin Epidemiol. 2005; 58(4):323-37. DOI: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2004.10.012. View

Ono S, Ishimaru M, Ida Y, Yamana H, Ono Y, Hoshi K . Validity of diagnoses and procedures in Japanese dental claims data. BMC Health Serv Res. 2021; 21(1):1116. PMC: 8525021. DOI: 10.1186/s12913-021-07135-3. View

10.

Suissa S, Garbe E . Primer: administrative health databases in observational studies of drug effects--advantages and disadvantages. Nat Clin Pract Rheumatol. 2007; 3(12):725-32. DOI: 10.1038/ncprheum0652. View

11.

Tricco A, Pham B, Rawson N . Manitoba and Saskatchewan administrative health care utilization databases are used differently to answer epidemiologic research questions. J Clin Epidemiol. 2008; 61(2):192-197. DOI: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2007.03.009. View

12.

Tanaka S, Seto K, Kawakami K . Pharmacoepidemiology in Japan: medical databases and research achievements. J Pharm Health Care Sci. 2016; 1:16. PMC: 4729130. DOI: 10.1186/s40780-015-0016-5. View

13.

Chen Y, Wu J, Haschler I, Majeed A, Chen T, Wetter T . Academic impact of a public electronic health database: bibliometric analysis of studies using the general practice research database. PLoS One. 2011; 6(6):e21404. PMC: 3120870. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0021404. View

14.

Mues K, Liede A, Liu J, Wetmore J, Zaha R, Bradbury B . Use of the Medicare database in epidemiologic and health services research: a valuable source of real-world evidence on the older and disabled populations in the US. Clin Epidemiol. 2017; 9:267-277. PMC: 5433516. DOI: 10.2147/CLEP.S105613. View

15.

Kimura S, Sato T, Ikeda S, Noda M, Nakayama T . Development of a database of health insurance claims: standardization of disease classifications and anonymous record linkage. J Epidemiol. 2010; 20(5):413-9. PMC: 3900837. DOI: 10.2188/jea.je20090066. View

16.

Harpe S . Using secondary data sources for pharmacoepidemiology and outcomes research. Pharmacotherapy. 2009; 29(2):138-53. DOI: 10.1592/phco.29.2.138. View

17.

Laurent T, Simeone J, Kuwatsuru R, Hirano T, Graham S, Wakabayashi R . Context and Considerations for Use of Two Japanese Real-World Databases in Japan: Medical Data Vision and Japanese Medical Data Center. Drugs Real World Outcomes. 2022; 9(2):175-187. PMC: 8932467. DOI: 10.1007/s40801-022-00296-5. View

18.

Toyokawa S, Maeda E, Kobayashi Y . Estimation of the number of children with cerebral palsy using nationwide health insurance claims data in Japan. Dev Med Child Neurol. 2016; 59(3):317-321. DOI: 10.1111/dmcn.13278. View

19.

Ooba N, Setoguchi S, Ando T, Sato T, Yamaguchi T, Mochizuki M . Claims-based definition of death in Japanese claims database: validity and implications. PLoS One. 2013; 8(5):e66116. PMC: 3669209. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0066116. View

20.

Martin-Latry K, Begaud B . Pharmacoepidemiological research using French reimbursement databases: yes we can!. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2010; 19(3):256-65. DOI: 10.1002/pds.1912. View