Work sampling is an observational technique that produces counts representing the number of times that an individual has been observed performing each of several tasks. These data are collected using either systematic or random times of observation, and typically exhibit correlation between repeated observations on the same individual, with the degree of correlation being a function of the amount of time elapsed between measurements. Using several recently developed statistical techniques, we illustrate how it is possible to carry out analyses of these nominal outcomes that account for the correlation between repeated outcomes. We use description of a work sampling study to motivate the techniques and we compare empirically results from analyses based on several different underlying assumptions.
Ampt A, Westbrook J, Creswick N, Mallock N. Ampt A, et al. J Health Serv Res Policy. 2007 Jan;12(1):18-24. doi: 10.1258/135581907779497576. J Health Serv Res Policy. 2007. PMID: 17244393
Finkler SA, Knickman JR, Hendrickson G, Lipkin M Jr, Thompson WG. Finkler SA, et al. Health Serv Res. 1993 Dec;28(5):577-97. Health Serv Res. 1993. PMID: 8270422 Free PMC article.
Wang N. Wang N. J Appl Meas. 2003;4(4):358-69. J Appl Meas. 2003. PMID: 14523255MacEwan DW, Snigurowicz O, Trypka L. MacEwan DW, et al. Radiol Manage. 1982 Dec;5(1):24-38. Radiol Manage. 1982. PMID: 10299229
Hogan JW, Roy J, Korkontzelou C. Hogan JW, et al. Stat Med. 2004 May 15;23(9):1455-97. doi: 10.1002/sim.1728. Stat Med. 2004. PMID: 15116353 Review.
Murray MD, Loos B, Tu W, Eckert GJ, Zhou XH, Tierney WM. Murray MD, et al. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 1998 Nov-Dec;5(6):546-53. doi: 10.1136/jamia.1998.0050546. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 1998. PMID: 9824801 Free PMC article.