Correcting standardized rate ratios for imprecise classification of a polychotomous exposure variable with limited data

Abstract

The analysis of exposure misclassification has received considerable attention in the epidemiologic literature, with the result that methods for correcting many summary risk estimates for such misclassification are well known. However, the application of such methods typically requires more data than are usually published (for example, the complete set of exposure- and age-specific mortality rates). The authors show, under the assumption that exposure misclassification occurs independently of disease status and confounder level, that it is possible to obtain estimates of standardized rate ratios corrected for a given pattern of misclassification from only the published standardized risk ratios and the misclassification matrix. This technique allows readers of scientific literature to perform post hoc sensitivity analysis of published risk estimates.