Which type of bias may arise from recruiting participants only from a specific location such as a hospital?

Selection bias occurs when the participants included in a study are not representative of the broader population that the researchers intend to make conclusions about. When participants are recruited solely from a specific location, such as a hospital, there may be underlying factors that differentiate these individuals from those who do not seek care at that facility. This can lead to results that may not be generalizable to the wider population outside of that particular setting.

For instance, patients at a specialized cancer treatment center may have different characteristics, demographics, or health statuses than those who receive care at community clinics or who do not seek medical treatment at all. As a result, the conclusions drawn from the study may reflect the experiences or outcomes of that specific group rather than the general population, thereby impacting the validity and applicability of the research findings.

In contrast, information bias involves inaccuracies in the data collected regarding variables of interest, performance bias refers to differences in the care received by participants in a study, and attrition bias occurs when participants drop out of a study in a manner that affects the outcome. None of these concepts specifically relate to the representativeness issue brought about by location-specific recruitment.