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An important
strength of medical records as a source of health data is that trained medical providers
have knowledge of symptoms, criteria for specific diagnoses, and normal child growth and
development. Because the information on each visit is made at the time of that visit,
there is less risk for recall bias - forgetting some or all details of the visit and
associated diagnoses. Drawbacks to medical records as a source of health data is that
data are available only for children who receive medical care. Children who are uninsured,
who’s parents do not trust the medical system, or who do not have time to take them to
the doctor will not be represented in medical records data. In addition, parents may not
take a mildly ill child to the doctor, so those symptoms might not be recorded. This can
introduce bias according to perceived severity of the illness. |
