Comparison of survey design and methodologies used by the National Audit of Cancer Diagnosis in Primary Care,15 and the Cancer Patient Experience Survey 20108
National audit of cancer diagnosis in primary care | Cancer patient experience survey | |
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Population | Patients with cancer in participating practices (about 14% of all English practices) | Patients with cancer across England |
Sampling frame | Patients with new diagnosis of cancer during audited period (2009–2010) | Patients attending an NHS hospital for cancer treatment Jan–Mar 2010 (many of these cases have been diagnosed before the survey period) |
Sample representativeness | Aimed to include all patients eligible for inclusion in the audit with minimal attrition (independently of survival length) | Only about two-thirds (67%) of all patients in the original sampling frame participated in the survey—after exclusion of people who had died, that is, patients with only short-term survival were likely to be a priori excluded |
Method of outcome ascertainment | Case note review by general practitioner or other primary care professional (eg, practice nurse) | Patients responding to a specific survey question |
NHS, National Health Service.