Description

For all event-medication-round link records, DUIDK reports the identifier assigned by MEPS to the person's Dwelling Unit (DU), sampled for MEPS data collection. DUIDK is a random ID number assigned after the DU was sampled for MEPS and does not change once assigned. The MEPS sample is a subset of households that participated in the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS).

DU definitions are generally consistent with NHIS definitions of households. For example, the 2018 NHIS Survey Description document describes households as "occupied housing units" (p. 10) that exclude "long-term care institutions (for example, nursing homes for the elderly, hospitals for the chronically ill or physically or intellectually disabled, and wards for abused or neglected children), correctional facilities (for example, prisons or jails, juvenile detention centers, and halfway houses)." (p. 8). Additionally, "unless one other family member is a civilian eligible for the survey (for example, a child whose parents are both active-duty military)" (p. 8), housing units occupied by active-duty Armed Forces personnel are also excluded from the survey.

From 1996-2017, DUIDK is unique within panel, but must be combined with PANELK to be unique across panels. Starting in 2018, DUIDK begins with the 2-digit variable PANELK, making DUIDK unique across panels. DUIDK can be combined with PIDK to uniquely identify each person within the Dwelling Unit. Please see the user note for more information on the relationship between Dwelling Units, families, Reporting Units, and persons.

Users should note that beginning in 2021, AHRQ discontinued the public use version of the RXLK file, which contained all K RECTYPE variables. AHRQ determined that the data in the RXLK file are not useful for studies of prescriber behavior because so few drugs link to prescribers. IPUMS MEPS continues to offer the RXLK variables for the 1996-2020 samples. Users interested in the RXLK variables for the 2021-forward samples can refer to AHRQ's webpage on procedures to access restricted variables in a data center.

DUIDK is a numeric variable ranging in width from 1 to 7 digits.

Comparability

In 2018-forward, DUIDK begins with the 2-digit variable PANELK and ends with the 5-digit Dwelling Unit identifier. As a result, DUIDK increased from a maximum width of 5 digits to a maximum width of 7 digits and its meaning changed slightly to be a unique cross-panel identifier.

Universe

Availability

• 1996-2020

Weights

• No weights are available for this variable. Please refer to DUIDK for more information.

Flags