Sample Attrition Analysis in a Prospective Cohort Study of Medical Graduates in China

作者：Mingyue Li, Ziyue Wang, Baisong Zhang, Tiantian Wei, Dan Hu, Xiaoyun Liu · 发表于：Research Square · 年份：2021 · DOI：10.21203/rs.3.rs-622819/v1 · 被引用次数：1 · 研究领域：Global Health Workforce Issues、Healthcare Systems and Reforms、Medical Education and Admissions

Abstract Background: A major challenge of prospective cohort studies is attrition in follow-up surveys. This study investigated attrition in a prospective cohort comprised of medical graduates in China. We described patterns of attrition, identified participants with higher possibility of attrition, and examined if attrition affect the estimation of the key outcome measures. Methods: The cohort study recruited 3,620 new medical graduates from four medical universities in central and western China between 2015-2019. Online follow-up surveys were conducted on an annual basis. Follow-up status was defined as complete (meaning that the participant completed all the follow-up surveys) and incomplete, while incomplete follow-up was further divided into ‘always-out’, ‘rejoin’ and ‘other’. Multivariable logistic and linear regressions were used to examine factors predicting attrition and the influence on the outcome measures of career development. Results: 2364 (65.3%) participants completed all follow-up surveys. For those with incomplete data, 520 (14.4%) were ‘always-out’, 276 (7.6%) rejoined in the 2020 survey. Unwillingness to participate in residency training (OR=1.311, 95%CI[1.028-1.672]) and unwillingness to provide sensitive information in the baseline survey predicted a higher rate of attrition (providing scores for university entrance exam (OR=1.313, 95%CI[1.064-1.620]; providing contact information (OR=2.762, 95%CI[1.660 - 4.593]; providing household income (OR=1.679, 95%...