Beyond the ecological fallacy: potential problems when studying healthcare organisations.

Ecological studies, which consider patient groups rather than individuals, are common in health policy research. The ‘ecological fallacy’ is a well-recognised methodological concern, but in this perspectives paper, we focus on less often appreciated but equally important limitations of such studies. In particular, we consider reliability and power as they apply to ecological studies, and make recommendations to inform the appropriate design and interpretation of these increasingly popular studies.

Keywords

Bias, Delivery of Health Care, Health Services, Health Services Research, Hospitals, Humans, Research Design

Journal Title

J R Soc Med

Journal ISSN

0141-0768
1758-1095

Volume Title

109

Publisher

SAGE Publications

Publisher DOI

https://doi.org/10.1177/0141076815610574

Rights and licensing

Except where otherwised noted, this item's license is described as http://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved

Sponsorship

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. GL is supported by a Cancer Research UK Clinician Scientist Fellowship (A18180). The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of any funder or any other organisation or institution.

Collections

Scholarly Works - Public Health and Primary Care
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