Journal of Clinical Epidemiology
Volume 51, Issue 2 , Pages 93-98 , February 1998

Two-Way Referral Bias: Evidence from a Clinical Audit of Lymphoma in a Teaching Hospital

  • O Paltiel

      Affiliations

    • Department of Social Medicine and School of Public Health, Hadassah/Hebrew University and Department of Hematology, Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
    • Corresponding Author InformationDr. Ora Paltiel, MDCM, MSc., FRCPC, Dept. of Social Medicine, Hadassah Medical Organization, POB 12000, Jerusalem, Israel, 91120
  • ,
  • I Ronen

      Affiliations

    • Department of Social Medicine and School of Public Health, Hadassah/Hebrew University and Department of Hematology, Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
  • ,
  • A Polliack

      Affiliations

    • Department of Social Medicine and School of Public Health, Hadassah/Hebrew University and Department of Hematology, Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
  • ,
  • L Epstein

      Affiliations

    • Department of Social Medicine and School of Public Health, Hadassah/Hebrew University and Department of Hematology, Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel

,Accepted 13 October 1997.

References 

  1. Sackett DL. Bias in analytic research. J Chron Dis. 1979;32:51–63
  2. Redfield MM, Gersh BJ, Bailey KR, Ballard DJ, Rodehoffer RJ. Natural history of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (Effect of referral bias and secular trend). J Am Coll Cardiol. 1993;22:1921–1926
  3. Melton LJ. Selection bias in the referral of patients and the natural history of surgical conditions. Mayo Clin Proc. 1985;60:880–889
  4. Rosenberg SA. National Cancer Institute sponsored study of classifications of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. Cancer. 1982;49:2112–2135
  5. Paltiel O. Some aspects of lymphoma in Jerusalem and Israel. In: [Abstract] Middle East Cancer Society. Tel Aviv: International Regional Scientific Symposium. November 27–30. 1995;p. 15–16
  6. Fisher RI, Gaynor ER, Dahlberg S, et al.  Comparison of a standard regimen (CHOP) with three intensive chemotherapy regimens for advanced non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. N Engl J Med. 1993;328:1002–1006
  7. Canellos GP, Anderson JR, Propert KJ, et al.  Chemotherapy of advanced Hodgkin's disease with MOPP, ABVD or MOPP alternating with ABVD. N Engl J Med. 1992;327:1478–1484
  8. Rohatiner AZS, Lister TA. Myeloablative therapy for follicular lymphoma. Hem/Onc Clin N Am. 1991;5:1003–1012
  9. Greenberg ER, Dain BJ, Freeman DH, Yates JW, Korson R, Redfield MM. Referral of lung cancer patients to university hospital cancer centers. A population-based study in two rural states. Cancer. 1988;62:1647–1652
  10. Nelson LM, Franklin GM, Hamman RF, Boteler DL, Baum HM, Burks JS. Referral bias in multiple sclerosis research. J Clin Epidemiol. 1988;44:187–192
  11. Warner MA, Hosking MP, Lobdell CM, Offord KP, Melton LJ. Effects of referral bias on surgical outcomes (A population-based study of surgical patients 90 years of age or older). Mayo Clin Proc. 1990;65:1185–1191
  12. Central Bureau of Statistics. Statistical Abstract of Israel 1994. No. 45. Jerusalem, Israel: Central Bureau of Statistics, 61.
  13. Greenberg ER, Chute CG, Stukel T, Baron JA, Freeman DH, Yates JW, et al. Social and economic factors in the choice of lung cancer treatment. A population-based study in two rural states. N Engl J Med. 1988;318:612–617
  14. Berman RA, Green J, Kwo D, Safian K, Botnick L. Severity of illness and the teaching hospital. J Med Education. 1986;61:1–9
  15. Welch WG, Larson EB, Welch WP. Could distance be a proxy for severity-of-illness? A comparison of hospital costs in distant and local patients. HSR. 1993;28:441–458
  16. Greenberg ER, Baron JA, Dain BJ, Freeman DH, Yates JW, Korson R. Cancer staging may have different meanings in academic and community hospitals. J Clin Epidemiol. 1991;44:505–512
  17. Ballard DJ, Bryant SC, O'Brien PC, Smith DW, Pine MB, Cortese DA. Referral selection bias in the Medicare Hospital Mortality Prediction Model (Are centers of referral for Medicare beneficiaries necessarily centers of excellence?). HSR. 1994;28:771–784
  18. Schneider AJ, Derr J. Referral bias in elderly patients. Mayo Clin Proc. 1990;65:1272–1273Editorial
  19. Maron BJ, Spirito P. Impact of selection biases on the perception of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and its natural history. Am J Cardiol. 1993;72:970–972Editorial
  20. Gifford RW. Evaluation of the hypertensive patient with emphasis on detecting curable causes. Millbank Mem Fund Quart. 1969;47:170–186
  21. Paul RI, Christoffel KK, Binns HJ, Jaffe DM. Foreign body ingestions in children (Risk of complication varies with site of initial health care contact. Pediatric Practice Research Group). Pediatrics. 1993;91(1):121–127
  22. McGuirk MA, Porell FW. Spatial patterns of hospital utilization (The impact of distance and time). Inquiry. 1984;21:84–95
  23. Mayer JD. The distance behavior of hospital patients (A disaggregated analysis). Soc Sci Med. 1983;17:819–827

PII: S0895-4356(97)00244-8

Journal of Clinical Epidemiology
Volume 51, Issue 2 , Pages 93-98 , February 1998