title: Head and spinal cord injuries: a pilot study of morbidity survey procedures.
abstract: This paper describes a pilot case-finding survey which allowed statistical resolution of a number of methodological issues facing researchers who conduct such surveys. The pilot study for a national survey assessing the incidence, prevalence, and economic impact of head and spinal cord injuries, was conducted in eight geographically representative country sites and involved a study of field procedures in several different types of medical facilities. The scope of this paper is limited to the study of procedures used in hospitals. It concluded that: (1) inexperienced field staff were as productive as experienced field staff for activities such as listing discharges and abstracting patient records; (2) field staff familiarity with facility record systems was associated with success in securing hospital cooperation; (3) endorsements by national chapters of relevant professional and health-related associations were sufficient for securing hospital cooperation; and (4) neither hospital characteristics (e.g., size) nor the degree of participation by cooperating hospitals was associated with any significant differences in field staff productivity.
mesh_terms: D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D006742:Hospital Bed Capacity; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008499:Medical Records; D008722:Methods; D009657:North Carolina; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012107:Research Design; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy