@article{ref1,
title="Head and spinal cord injuries: a pilot study of morbidity survey procedures",
journal="American journal of public health",
year="1977",
author="Hartwell, T. D. and Kalsbeek, W. D.",
volume="67",
number="11",
pages="1051-1057",
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.",
language="",
issn="0090-0036",
doi="",
url="http://dx.doi.org/"
}