@article {Logue583, author = {Everett E. Logue and Claire C. Bourguet}, title = {A Method for Obtaining an Unbiased Sample of Family Medicine Patients for Research Purposes}, volume = {24}, number = {5}, pages = {583--588}, year = {2011}, doi = {10.3122/jabfm.2011.05.100052}, publisher = {The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine}, abstract = {Introduction: Obtaining a representative patient sample for research purposes can be challenging. Classic probability sampling can be trusted, but these approaches are not always feasible; yet alternatives may introduce bias. We summarize relevant literature, the need for new approaches, and illustrate a practical hybrid approach that could consistently produce representative patient samples. Methods: Valid approaches shift sampling decisions from fallible interviewers to less fallible reproducible processes. In lieu of the interviewer{\textquoteright}s inclination to select particular patients, we used the day of the week, the appointment time, and the sequence of the patient{\textquoteright}s last name in the alphabet to select a sample for a consent process and a survey. Illustrative Use: Characteristics of the study sample (n = 225) were compared with the characteristics of the population (N = 1964) that had an office visit during the recruiting period. The data suggested that the study sample was highly representative of the population in this illustrative case. Discussion: A hybrid sampling approach, in the context of a brief consent process, and a nonthreatening interview produced a representative study sample, but formal evaluation via simulation is needed to validate the hybrid approach. Convenience samples of consecutive patients should be avoided to minimize bias.}, issn = {1557-2625}, URL = {https://www.jabfm.org/content/24/5/583}, eprint = {https://www.jabfm.org/content/24/5/583.full.pdf}, journal = {The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine} }