Getting the finger out on random-digit dialling

Howell, Stuart C; Eslick, Guy D

doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.2003.tb05744.x

Topics

To the Editor: Random-digit dialling is commonly used to select samples in telephone surveys. It has been used as a method of selecting survey samples for a diverse range of topics ranging from chronic pain to lesbian health issues.1,2 However, the method has come under criticism in recent years, primarily on the basis that a large number of residents are systematically excluded from the sample.

Department of Medicine, Nepean Hospital, Penrith, NSW.

Correspondence:

1. Blyth FM, March LM, Shellard D, Cousins MJ. The experience of using random digit dialling methods in a population-based chronic pain study. Aust N Z J Public Health 2002; 26: 511-514.
2. Meyer IH, Rossano L, Ellis JM, Bradford J. A brief telephone interview to identify lesbian and bisexual women in random digit dialing sampling. J Sex Res 2002; 39: 139-144.

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