Questionnaire order significantly increased response to a postal survey sent to primary care physicians

Journal of Clinical Epidemiology

Volumn 61, Issue 2, 2008, Pages 177-185

  Drummond, Frances J ^a   Sharp, Linda ^a   Carsin, Anne Elie ^a   Kelleher, Tracy ^a   Comber, Harry ^a  

^a NATIONAL CANCER REGISTRY IRELAND   (Ireland)

Author keywords

Factorial trial; General practitioner; Physicians; Precontact; PSA; Questionnaire order; Response rate

Indexed keywords

PROSTATE SPECIFIC ANTIGEN;

ARTICLE; DATA BASE; DEMOGRAPHY; FACTORIAL ANALYSIS; FEMALE; HUMAN; MALE; MEDICAL PRACTICE; PHYSICIAN ATTITUDE; POSTAL MAIL; PRIMARY MEDICAL CARE; PRIORITY JOURNAL; QUESTIONNAIRE; RANDOMIZATION; STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE;

ATTITUDE OF HEALTH PERSONNEL; COOPERATIVE BEHAVIOR; FEMALE; HEALTH CARE SURVEYS; HUMANS; IRELAND; MALE; PHYSICIANS, FAMILY; POSTAL SERVICE; PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE; PROSTATE-SPECIFIC ANTIGEN; PSYCHOMETRICS; QUESTIONNAIRES;

EID: 37549008336     PISSN: 08954356     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2007.04.012     Document Type: Article

References (39)

1. Klabunde C.N., Frame P.S., Meadow A., Jones E., Nadel M., and Vernon S.W. A national survey of primary care physicians' colorectal cancer screening recommendations and practice. Prev Med 36 (2003) 352-362
2. Sices L., Feudtner C., McLaughlin J., Drotar D., and Williams M. How do primary care physicians manage children with possible developmental delays? A national survey with an experimental design. Pediatrics 113 (2004) 274-282
3. Cohen L.B., Wecsler J.S., Gaetano J.N., Benson A.A., Miller K.M., Durkalski V., et al. Endoscopic sedation in the United States: results from a nationwide survey. Am J Gastroenterol 101 (2006) 967-974
4. Strang J., Sheridan J., Hunt C., Kerr B., Gerada C., and Pringle M. The prescribing of methadone and other opioids to addicts: a national survey of GPs in England and Wales. Br J Gen Pract 55 (2005) 444-451
5. Audet A.M., Davis K., and Schoenbaum S.C. Adoption of patient-centred care practices by physicians: results from a national survey. Arch Intern Med 166 (2006) 754-759
6. Cahill S., Clark M., Walsh C., O'Connell H., and Lawlor B. Dementia in primary care: the first survey of Irish general practitioners. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry 21 (2006) 319-324
7. Jowett S.M., Macleod J., Wilson S., and Hobbs F.D.R. Research in primary care: extent of involvement and perceived determinants among practitioners from one English region. Br J Gen Pract 50 (2000) 387-389
8. Askew D.A., Clavarino A.M., Glasziou P.P., and Del Mar C.B. General practice research: attitudes and involvement of Queensland general practitioners. Med J Aust 177 (2002) 74-77
9. McAvoy B.R., and Kaner E.F.S. General practice postal surveys: a questionnaire too far?. BMJ 313 (1996) 732-733
10. Asch D.A., Jedrziewski M.K., and Christakis N.A. Response rates to mail surveys published in medical journals. J Clin Epidemiol 50 (1997) 1129-1136
11. Deehan A., Templeton L., Taylor C., Drummond C., and Strang J. The effect of cash and other financial inducements on the response rate of general practitioners in a national postal survey. Br J GP 47 (1997) 87-90
12. Cartwright A. Professionals as responders: variations in and effects of response rates to questionnaires, 1961-1977. BMJ 2 (1978) 1419-1421
13. Thompson D.B., Ahrens M.J., LeRoy B.S., Brown D., and Berry S.A. Newborn blood spot screening and genetic services: a survey of Minnesota primary care physicians. Genet Med 7 (2005) 564-570
14. Iverson G.D., Coleridge S.T., Fulda K.G., and Licciardone J.C. What factors influence a family physician's decision to refer a patient to a specialist?. Rural Remote Health 5 (2005) 413
15. Ponte C.D., and Johnson-Tribino J. Attitudes and knowledge about pain: an assessment of West Virginia family physicians. Fam Med 37 (2005) 477-480
16. Samant R.S., Fitzgibbon E., Meng J., and Graham I.D. Family physicians' perspectives regarding palliative radiotherapy. Radiother Oncol 78 (2006) 101-106
17. Edwards P., Roberts I., Clarke M., DiGuiseppi C., Pratap S., Wentz R., et al. Methods to influence response to postal questionnaires (Cochrane Metholodology Review). The Cochrane Library. Issue 3 (2005), John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Chichester
18. Sharp L., Cochran C., Cotton S.C., Gray N.M., Gallagher M.E., and on behalf of the TOMBOLA group. Enclosing a pen with a postal questionnaire can significantly increase the response rate. J Clin Epidemiol 59 (2006) 747-754
19. Shiono P.H., and Klebanoff M.A. The effect of two mailing strategies on the response to a survey of physicians. Am J Epidemiol 134 (1991) 539-542
20. Pirotta M., Gunn J., Farish S., and Karabatsos G. Primer postcard improves postal survey response rates. Aust N Z J Public Health 23 (1999) 196-197
21. VanGeest J.B., Wynia M.K., Cummins D.S., and Wilson I.B. Effects of different monetary incentives on the return rate of a national mail survey of physicians. Med Care 39 (2001) 197-201
22. Halpern S.D., Ubel P.A., Berlin J.A., and Asch D.A. Randomized trial of 5 dollars versus 10 dollars monetary incentives, envelope size, and candy to increase physician response rates to mailed questionnaires. Med Care 40 (2002) 834-839
23. Robertson J., Walkom E.J., and McGettigan P. Response rates and representativeness: a lottery incentive improves physician survey return rates. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf 14 (2005) 571-577
24. Leung G.M., Ho L.M., Chan M.F., Johnston J.M., and Wong F.K. The effects of cash and lottery incentives on mailed surveys to physicians: a randomized trial. J Clin Epidemiol 55 (2002) 801-807
25. Streiff M.B., Dundes L., and Spivak J.L. A mail survey of United States hematologists and oncologists: a comparison of business reply versus stamped return envelopes. J Clin Epidemiol 54 (2001) 430-432
26. Urban N., Anderson G.L., and Tseng A. Effects on response rates and costs of stamps vs business reply in a mail survey of physicians. J Clin Epidemiol 46 (1993) 455-459
27. Brehaut J.C., Graham I.D., Visentin L., and Stiell I.G. Print format and sender recognition were related to survey completion rate. J Clin Epidemiol 59 (2006) 635-641
28. McColl E., Jacoby A., Thomas L., Soutter J., Bamford C., Steen N., et al. Design and use of questionnaires: a review of best practice applicable to surveys of health service staff and patients. Health Technol Assess 5 (2001) 1-266
29. McAlister F.A., Straus S.E., Sackett D.L., and Altman D.G. Analysis and reporting of factorial trials. JAMA 289 (2003) 2545-2553
30. Mathews J.N.S., and Altman D.G. Interaction 3: how to examine heterogeneity. BMJ 313 (1996) 862
31. Godwin M., and Seguin R. Critical appraisal skills of family physicians in Ontario, Canada. BMC Med Educ 3 (2003) 10
32. Cockburn J., Campbell E., Gordon J.J., and Sanson-Fisher R.W. Response bias in a study of general practice. Fam Pract 5 (1988) 18-23
33. Stamey T.A., Yang N., Hay A.R., McNeal J.E., Freiha F.S., and Redwine E. Prostate-specific antigen as a serum marker for adenocarcinoma of the prostate. N Engl J Med 317 (1987) 909-916
34. National Cancer Institute Fact Sheet 5.23, Early Prostate Cancer: Questions and Answers. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Detection/early-prostate Accessed Oct. 31, 2006
35. Dillman D.A. Mail and telephone surveys: The total design method (1978), John Wiley and Sons, New York
36. Green R.G., Murphy K.D., and Snyder S.M. Should demographics be placed at the end or at the beginning of mailed questionnaires? An empirical answer to a persistent methological question. Social Work Res 24 (2000) 237-240
37. Osborn M., Ward J., and Boyle C. Effectiveness of telephone prompts when surveying general practitioners: a randomised trial. Aust Fam Physician Suppl 1 (1996) S41-S43
38. Gupta L., Ward J., and D'Este C. Differential effectiveness of telephone prompts by medical and nonmedical staff in increasing survey response rates: a randomised trial. Aust N Z J Public Health 21 (1997) 98-99
39. Ward J., Bruce T., Holt P., D'Este K., and Sladden M. Labour-saving strategies to maintain survey response rates: a randomised trial. Aust N Z J Public Health 22 3 Suppl (1998) 394-396