At a glance
- Access to datasets for most National Post-acute and Long-term Care Study (NPALS) cycles is restricted.
- Restricting data access protects the confidentiality of survey respondents, study subjects, and facilities.
- Researchers can access these NPALS data for approved statistical purposes through the National Center for Health Statistic's Research Data Center.
About restricted NPALS data files
The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) has produced restricted data files for the 2022, 2020, 2018, 2016, 2014, and 2012 cycles of the National Post-acute and Long-term Care Study (NPALS). These files are available for both NPALS surveys—the Adult Day Services Center (ADSC) survey and the Residential Care Community (RCC) survey. NPALS was called the National Study of Long-Term Care Providers before 2020. Datasets from before 2020 use the study's original name.
NCHS restricts access to data that could potentially be used to identify study participants and their facilities, like geographical information. Access to these data is carefully managed. Data that can directly identify a participant (name and address) are not available through the NCHS Research Data Center.
Accessing restricted NPALS data
Researchers can request access to these restricted data for approved statistical purposes through the NCHS Research Data Center. Applications to access restricted data are carefully reviewed and only approved for research and statistical purposes. Fees apply to restricted data use applications and access.
Learn how to access restricted NPALS data
Documentation for restricted data
Data dictionaries for the ADSC and RCC restricted datasets are available to approved researchers directly from the National Center for Health Statistics. Please email us at ltcsbfeedback@cdc.gov to request these PDFs. The data dictionaries contain information on the variables for four sections in the ADSC and RCC questionnaires:
- Background Information
- Services Offered
- Staff Profile
- Services Users Profile
More information about survey questions is available in the questionnaires for each study cycle.