Considerations in Complex Survey Data Sampling, Weighting, and Analysis for Pediatric Research

In a recent study from Lin et al. 1 Lin J.L. Cohen E. Sanders L.M. Shared decision making among children with medical complexity: results from a population-based survey. The Journal of pediatrics. 2018; 192: 216-222 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (0) Google Scholar published in The Journal of Pediatrics, the authors compared the rates of shared decision making (SDM) reported by parents of children with medical complexity (CMC) with those reported by parents of non-complex children among children with special health care needs (CSHCN). This comparison was based on data from the 2009 through 2010 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs (NSCSH), a representative survey of 40,242 parents of CSHCN 2 Bethell C.D. Blumberg S.J. Stein R.E. Strickland B. Robertson J. Newacheck P.W. Taking stock of the CSHCN screener: a review of common questions and current reflections. Academic pediatrics. 2015; 15 (24. Strickland BB, Jones JR,Newacheck PW, Bethell CD, Blumberg SJ, Kogan): 165-176 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Google Scholar , 3 Strickland B.B. Jones J.R. Newacheck P.W. Bethell C.D. Blumberg S.J. Kogan M.D. Assessing systems quality in a changing health care environment: The 2009–10 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs. Maternal and child health journal. 2015; 19: 353-361 Crossref PubMed Scopus (0) Google Scholar , 4 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs. Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health; 2009-2010. www.childhealthdata.org. Accessed May 13, 2017. Google Scholar The findings indicated that SDM is less common for CSHCN with complex needs than for those without complex needs. The authors selected this survey because it is a large-scale probability sample that is representative of the population. To minimize selection bias, the authors incorporated complex sampling design features, including stratification and final weights, into their statistical analysis.