Some Implications of Illness Behavior for Medical Sampling

AN adequate and representative sample is an important prerequisite for competent studies of etiologic processes in disease. Most medical studies, however, depend largely on populations of sick persons who come to clinics, hospitals and other medical facilities for diagnosis and treatment. Such populations are accessible and convenient, and research based on them is relatively economical. Moreover, the assumption is often made that sampling problems are less acute when basic human processes are being studied. However, to the extent that known clinic and hospital populations are not representative of those having a particular disorder, and to the extent that selection of . . .