Collection of occupational epidemiologic data: the use of surrogate respondents to provide occupational histories.

When information about subjects in a study is unavailable from other sources, surrogate respondents, such as family members, have provided information about the subject. This chapter focuses on the quality of occupational histories provided by surrogates. The author addresses the issues of (1) nonresponse of the surrogate, (2) surrogate-subject and surrogate-record agreement, and (3) the impact of misclassification on estimates of relative risk.