In reply: We thank Middleton et al for their interest in our article. As 96% of questionnaires in our ASAP study1 were completed by September 2000, their study (as yet unpublished) and ours were not concurrent. Statistically, based on the information given by Middleton et al, we would expect 5.5 GPs (296 x 333/18066) to be involved in both studies. Chance, or because direct involvement in the ASAP study had finished months earlier, may explain why none of the doctors in the survey by Middleton et al stated that they were involved in a stroke audit.
Correspondence: jsturm@austin.unimelb.edu.au
- 1. Sturm JW, Davis M, O'Sullivan JG, et al. The Avoid Stroke as Soon as Possible (ASAP) general practice stroke audit. Med J Aust 2002; 176: 312-316. <eMJA full text>
- 2. Ridout MS, Demetrio CBG, Firth D. Estimating intraclass correlation for binary data. Biometrics 1999; 55: 137-148.
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