Agreement between self-reported healthcare service use and administrative records in a longitudinal study of adults recently released from prison

Abstract

BackgroundStudies of healthcare service use often rely on self-reported data, especially in disadvantaged populations. Despite this, the reliability of self-reported healthcare service use is often questioned and routinely-collected, administrative data are usually considered preferable. In this paper we examine the agreement between self-reported healthcare service use and administrative records, in a large cohort of adults recently released from prison in Australia.MethodsBaseline interviews within 6 weeks of expected release from prison and follow-up interviews at 1, 3 and 6 months post-release were linked to routinely-collected, administrative health records over the same time period. Outcomes of interest included use of primary care, emergency department presentation, hospitalisation and dispensing of subsidised pharmaceuticals. Kappa statistics and positive and negative predictive values were calculated for each service type and time point, and a modified Poisson regression was used to identify participant characteristics associated with better agreement.Results864 participants completed interviews and were successfully linked to administrative records. There was good agreement between self-report and administrative health records. Agreement between data sources at 1 month was best for psychotropic medications (kappa = 0.79) and primary care visits (kappa = 0.69).ConclusionDespite a common perception that studies using self-reported data are subject to bias, particularly among the disadvantaged, our findings suggest that self-reported healthcare may be valid in vulnerable populations.

Evaluation of a complex intervention (Engager) for prisoners with common mental health problems, near to and after release: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

“…Secondary outcome measures are as follows: self-reported met need across key outcome domains using an adapted version of the Camberwell Assessment of Need-Forensic Version (CAN-FOR), 44 in terms of the number of met needs and using the Met Needs Index as an aggregate measure of met need 45 ; social outcomes (accommodation, education, employment and benefits); drug and alcohol use using and adapted version of the Treatment Outcomes Profile (TOP) 45 ; drug and alcohol dependence using the Leeds Dependence Questionnaire (LDQ) 46 ; service use across health, criminal justice, social care and third-sector organisations using an adapted version of the CSRI. 47 Recent evidence suggests that self-reported health service use data is valid in ex-prisoner populations 48 ; perceived helpfulness of services using the adapted version of the CSRI; generic health-related quality of life using the EQ-5D-5L questionnaire 49 ; well-being-related quality of life using the ICEpop CAPability measure for adults (ICECAP-A) questionnaire 50 ; experience of care using the Brief Inspire questionnaire 51 ; psychological constructs related to desistence using the Intermediate Outcomes Measurement Instrument (IOMI) 52 ; well-being, functioning, psychological symptoms, and risk using the subscales of the CORE-OM; proven reoffending rates, based on data from the Police National Computer. …”

“…service use across health, criminal justice, social care and third-sector organisations using an adapted version of the CSRI. 47 Recent evidence suggests that self-reported health service use data is valid in ex-prisoner populations 48 ;…”

Validating self-reported cervical cancer screening among women leaving jails

“…Overall, 60.9% of the 23 medical records confirmed accurate self-report of Pap tests. This is lower than the 85.6% validation found between self-report and administrative records of adults recently released from prison in another study [22]. However, that study focused on the broad categories of primary care, emergency department use, hospitalization, and prescription drug use [22].…”

Emergency health service contact and reincarceration after release from prison: A prospective cohort study

“…Second, due to the sensitive nature of some topics explored during baseline surveys, some participants may have chosen not to disclose stigmatising or illegal behaviours, particularly alcohol and other drug use, which would have prevented complete adjustment for confounding factors in Model 3. Given, however, the high proportion of participants reporting stigmatising behaviours at baseline, the likelihood of this is low, and there is evidence that self‐report can be reliable in incarcerated populations (Carroll, Sutherland, Kemp‐Casey, & Kinner, ; Schofield, Butler, Hollis, & D'Este, ). Third, missing data for baseline variables resulted in approximately 12% of the sample not being included in the final multivariate model.…”