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Related Experiment Videos

Response bias in a study of general practice.

J Cockburn1, E Campbell, J J Gordon

  • 1Faculty of Medicine, University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.

Family Practice
|March 1, 1988
PubMed
Summary

Response bias in quality of care research is a concern, especially with low response rates. This study found minimal bias among general practitioners, suggesting research findings may be generalizable.

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Area of Science:

  • Health Services Research
  • Medical Sociology

Background:

  • Response bias is a significant challenge in quality of care research, potentially limiting the generalizability of findings.
  • Low response rates in primary health care studies exacerbate concerns about systematic differences between participants and non-participants.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and apply a method for assessing response bias in quality of care research.
  • To compare characteristics and attitudes of general practitioners who consented versus declined participation in a primary care study.

Main Methods:

  • An observational study compared 56 consenting general practitioners with 52 non-consenting doctors.
  • Data collected included general characteristics (age, sex, practice size, qualifications) and attitudes toward their professional role.
  • Attitudes were analyzed for potential impact on consultation behavior and patient care outcomes.

Main Results:

  • The only significant difference was that non-consenters favored a free enterprise, fee-for-service medical system (p < 0.05).
  • No systematic differences were found in other general characteristics or attitudes related to patient care.
  • Response bias, based on the variables studied, was considered minimal.

Conclusions:

  • The study suggests that response bias may not be a major limitation in quality of care research when considering general practitioner characteristics and attitudes.
  • Findings support the potential generalizability of results from studies with similar participant demographics.
  • Strategies to increase response rates in quality of care research warrant further investigation.

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