Accuracy of self-reported stroke among elderly veterans

R. D. Horner, H. J. Cohen, D. G. Blazer

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

37 Scopus citations

Abstract

The objective was to use secondary analysis of prevalence data from a prospective cohort study to ascertain the accuracy of self-reported stroke among veterans. The study comprised a community-dwelling population of 88 elderly veterans (from five counties in the Northern Piedmont of North Carolina, USA) who received health care at the local Veterans Health Administration (VHA) medical center and were respondents at the North Carolina site of the NIH-funded Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly (EPESE) project. Self-report of stroke from the baseline interview of the EPESE project; and occurrence of stroke as verified by the national VHA hospital discharge database and the patients' medical records was measured. Results showed that self-report of stroke had a sensitivity of 86% and a specificity of 100%; the predictive value of a positive report was 100%. Veterans' self-reports of stroke are sufficiently accurate to use in preliminary epidemiological studies and health services research of cerebrovascular disease.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)275-281
Number of pages7
JournalAging and Mental Health
Volume5
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 2001
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Phychiatric Mental Health
  • Gerontology
  • Geriatrics and Gerontology
  • Psychiatry and Mental health

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