Official statistics and claims data records indicate non-response and recall bias within survey-based estimates of health care utilization in the older population

BMC Health Serv Res. 2013 Jan 3:13:1. doi: 10.1186/1472-6963-13-1.

Abstract

Background: The validity of survey-based health care utilization estimates in the older population has been poorly researched. Owing to data protection legislation and a great number of different health care insurance providers, the assessment of recall and non-response bias is challenging to impossible in many countries. The objective of our study was to compare estimates from a population-based study in older German adults with external secondary data.

Methods: We used data from the German KORA-Age study, which included 4,127 people aged 65-94 years. Self-report questions covered the utilization of long-term care services, inpatient services, outpatient services, and pharmaceuticals. We calculated age- and sex-standardized mean utilization rates in each domain and compared them with the corresponding estimates derived from official statistics and independent statutory health insurance data.

Results: The KORA-Age study underestimated the use of long-term care services (-52%), in-hospital days (-21%) and physician visits (-70%). In contrast, the assessment of drug consumption by postal self-report questionnaires yielded similar estimates to the analysis of insurance claims data (-9%).

Conclusion: Survey estimates based on self-report tend to underestimate true health care utilization in the older population. Direct validation studies are needed to disentangle the impact of recall and non-response bias.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Bias*
  • Chronic Disease / therapy
  • Confidence Intervals
  • Drug Utilization
  • Female
  • Germany
  • Health Care Surveys / standards*
  • Health Care Surveys / statistics & numerical data
  • Health Services / statistics & numerical data*
  • Humans
  • Insurance Claim Review* / statistics & numerical data
  • Male
  • Mental Recall*
  • Odds Ratio
  • Self Report
  • Sex Distribution