How accurate is self-report of medical conditions?
The San Francisco Department of Public Health recently compared the self-reported information collected in the Vulnerability Index against the actual medical records of 500 people. The results are not yet published, but they found that self-report was accurate for all but kidney disease and cancer. They did not have enough data to test the validity of the cold/wet weather indicator or the number of hospitalizations in the prior year, but all other health questions were found to be valid.
