Patterns of Medical Care: Validity of Interview Information on Use of Hospital Clinics

Information on outpatients' (OPs') use of clinics in diff hosp's, obtained in 644 structured interviews during clinic visits to one hosp, was validated against the evidence of records in the diff hosp's. Comparison of interviews for a subsample of 100 (OP's) of Beth Israel hospital in Boston against the records of 4 other major hosp's in the city revealed that while 11% had used those hosp's' OP dept's, 8% had actually reported their use in interview. The study, concentrating on the patients' total/sum patterns of obtaining Med care & the role of OP dept's in those patterns, revealed little loss through the interview technique in constructing accurate configuration of the patients' patterns of Med care. In no case was the interviewer's conception of the role of OP-dept care within the patient's overall use of Med resources altered by the record information J. A. Solon.