VALIDITY OF SELF-REPORTED HOSPITAL ADMISSION IN A PROSPECTIVE-STUDY

This study examines the validity of self-reported hospital admission d ata obtained by telephone interview from a sample of 563 participants in a follow-up study in Auckland, New Zealand. The personal recall of hospital admissions over a 4-year period between 1988 and 1991 was com pared with a national computerized record of all hospital admissions. Only two admissions were recalled by participants but not recorded on the hospital record. However, the study found significant underreporti ng of admissions by participants. Of those participants who could be c ontacted, 58% recalled all their admissions recorded on the computeriz ed database. Additionally, 26% recalled some of the admissions, and 16 % recalled none of the admissions. The age, sex, and social class stat us of the participants did not appear to significantly influence recal l ability. A greater proportion of ''first'' admissions (68%) was reca lled than that of ''readmission'' (45%). Follow-up studies that rely o n similar methods for collecting self-reported hospital admission data may significantly underestimate admission rates, particularly those o f readmissions for the same condition.