Validity of trauma reporting in the agricultural community

As a part of a comprehensive population-based surveillance study to identify the incidence, severity, and types of injuries in the rural community, a pilot study was conducted. Of primary importance was identification of the degree of concordance between injury data reported through telephone interviews and through medical record reviews. A random sample of 250 farms was selected. Following initial contact, farm households that agreed to participate were recontacted for a structured telephone interview. The female head of household was the preferred respondent for the demographic information on the family and on the occurrence of injuries. Injured persons were interviewed directly, with the exception of children under the age of 18 in which case the female head of household was the preferred respondent.