Walton M, Smith-Merry J, Harrison R, et al. Using patients’ experiences of adverse events to improve health service delivery and practice: protocol of a data linkage study of Australian adults age 45 and above. BMJ Open 2014;4:e006599. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2014-006599

The authors have been alerted to the omission of the following important details in the reporting of their study protocol:

• The Sax Institute is acknowledged as the managing organisation for the 45 and Up Study.

• Prospective 45 and Up participants were randomly sampled from the Department of Human Services (formerly Medicare Australia) enrolment database, which provides near complete coverage of the population. People aged 80 and over and residents of rural and remote areas were oversampled. Those who agreed to participate completed a baseline questionnaire (between Jan 2006 and December 2009) and gave signed consent for follow-up and linkage of their information to routine health databases

• Overall ethics approval for the 45 and Up Study was granted by the New South Wales Population Health Research Ethics Committee.

• The authors acknowledge that the 45 and Up Study is managed by the Sax Institute in collaboration with major partner Cancer Council NSW; and partners: the National Heart Foundation of Australia (NSW Division); NSW Ministry of Health; NSW Government Family & Community Services – Ageing, Carers and the Disability Council NSW; and the Australian Red Cross Blood Service. We thank the many thousands of people participating in the 45 and Up Study.