ABSTRACT
Neuroepidemiologic surveys in developing countries can be challenging to undertake. This chapter analyses some issues in planning and implementing the field work of such surveys, through the example of a prevalence survey conducted in South India. It focuses on methodology, not substantive results, and the format is a series of questions and answers concerning the survey mentioned. This is followed by a discussion to contrast some aspects of surveys in developing and developed countries. The survey of interest was conceived and directed by investigators from the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, located at Bangalore. Coverage for the survey embraced a mixed population, semiurban and rural, within the state of Karnataka, in South India. Successful casefinding in a two-phase survey depends on the screening questionnaire and how it is administered by the field workers. Although neurologic disorders seem frequent to neurologists working in specialty centers, nearly all of these disorders are infrequent in general populations.
