The versatility, speed, and reduced costs with which web surveys can be conducted with clinicians are often offset by low response rates. Drawing on best practices and general recommendations in the literature, we provide an evidence-based overview of methods for conducting online surveys with providers. We highlight important advantages and disadvantages of conducting provider surveys online and include a review of differences in response rates between web and mail surveys of clinicians. When administered online, design-based features affect rates of survey participation and data quality. We examine features likely to have an impact including sample frames, incentives, contacts (type, timing, and content), mixed-mode approaches, and questionnaire length. We make several recommendations regarding optimal web-based designs, but more empirical research is needed, particularly with regard to identifying which combinations of incentive and contact approaches yield the highest response rates and are the most cost-effective.

Surveying clinicians by web: current issues in design and administration.

Purpose – This study aims to summarise the findings of the perceptions of Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) and senior executives of South African listed companies on the perceived benefits and implementation challenges as a result of implementing integrated reporting (IR) requirements, as well as motives for preparing an integrated report; it is performed two years into the South African IR regime, South African-listed companies are among the first in the world to be subject to compliance with IR requirements in terms of stock exchange listing requirements IR, as a novel and evolutionary step in corporate reporting, along with the influence that integrated thinking and IR principles will have on companies, has been the subject of global debate in recent years Design/methodology/approach – The research instrument used in the study comprised a self-administered Web-based survey aimed at CEOs and CFOs of all South African listed companies The survey was validated by a pre-

Organisational benefits and implementation challenges of mandatory integrated reporting


 Do web surveys still yield lower response rates compared with other survey modes? To answer this question, we replicated and extended a meta-analysis done in 2008 which found that, based on 45 experimental comparisons, web surveys had an 11 percentage points lower response rate compared with other survey modes. Fundamental changes in internet accessibility and use since the publication of the original meta-analysis would suggest that people’s propensity to participate in web surveys has changed considerably in the meantime. However, in our replication and extension study, which comprised 114 experimental comparisons between web and other survey modes, we found almost no change: web surveys still yielded lower response rates than other modes (a difference of 12 percentage points in response rates). Furthermore, we found that prenotifications, the sample recruitment strategy, the survey’s solicitation mode, the type of target population, the number of contact attempts, and the country in which the survey was conducted moderated the magnitude of the response rate differences. These findings have substantial implications for web survey methodology and operations.

/pdf/web-versus-other-survey-modes-an-updated-and-extended-meta-36yky80gca.pdf

Web Versus Other Survey Modes: An Updated and Extended Meta-Analysis Comparing Response Rates

Background There is a gap between increasing demands from pharmacy journals, publishers, and reviewers for high survey response rates and the actual responses often obtained in the field by survey researchers. Presumably demands have been set high because response rates, times, and costs affect the validity and reliability of survey results. Objective Explore the extent to which survey response rates, average response times, and economic costs are affected by conditions under which pharmacist workforce surveys are administered. Methods A random sample of 7200 U.S. practicing pharmacists was selected. The sample was stratified by delivery method, questionnaire length, item placement, and gender of respondent for a total of 300 observations within each subgroup. A job satisfaction survey was administered during March–April 2012. Results Delivery method was the only classification showing significant differences in response rates and average response times. The postal mail procedure accounted for the highest response rates of completed surveys, but the email method exhibited the quickest turnaround. A hybrid approach, consisting of a combination of postal and electronic means, showed the least favorable results. Postal mail was 2.9 times more cost effective than the email approach and 4.6 times more cost effective than the hybrid approach. Conclusion Researchers seeking to increase practicing pharmacists' survey participation and reduce response time and related costs can benefit from the analytical procedures tested here.

Response rate, response time, and economic costs of survey research: A randomized trial of practicing pharmacists

Background: Web-based surveys have become a new and popular method for collecting data, but only a few studies have directly compared postal and Web-based surveys among physicians, and none to our knowledge among general practitioners (GPs). Objective: Our aim is to compare two modes of survey delivery (postal and Web-based) in terms of participation rates, response times, and completeness of questionnaires in a study assessing GPs’ preventive practices. Methods: This randomized study was conducted in Western Switzerland (Geneva and Vaud) and in France (Alsace and Pays de la Loire) in 2015. A random selection of community-based GPs (1000 GPs in Switzerland and 2400 GPs in France) were randomly allocated to receive a questionnaire about preventive care activities either by post (n=700 in Switzerland, n=400 in France) or by email (n=300 in Switzerland, n=2000 in France). Reminder messages were sent once in the postal group and twice in the Web-based group. Any GPs practicing only complementary and alternative medicine were excluded from the study. Results: Among the 3400 contacted GPs, 764 (22.47%, 95% CI 21.07%-23.87%) returned the questionnaire. Compared to the postal group, the participation rate in the Web-based group was more than four times lower (246/2300, 10.70% vs 518/1100, 47.09%, P<.001), but median response time was much shorter (1 day vs 1-3 weeks, P<.001) and the number of GPs having fully completed the questionnaire was almost twice as high (157/246, 63.8% vs 179/518, 34.6%, P<.001). Conclusions: Web-based surveys offer many advantages such as reduced response time, higher completeness of data, and large cost savings, but our findings suggest that postal surveys can be still considered for GP research. The use of mixed-mode approaches is probably a good strategy to increase GPs’ participation in surveys while reducing costs.

https://serval.unil.ch/resource/serval:BIB_5F1EE7F35417.P001/REF.pdf

Rates, Delays, and Completeness of General Practitioners’ Responses to a Postal Versus Web-Based Survey: A Randomized Trial

This study explored the economic costs and response rate of mail and web-based surveys with practicing dentists. A random sample of 6,000 practicing dentists was randomly assigned into three groups of 2,000: choice (mail or web-based), postal mail, or web-based. The Florida Tobacco Control Survey 2009, which is composed of 28 questions (including subject demographic questions), served as the survey instrument. A total of 1,232 surveys were returned by the three different groups (21% overall response rate). Response rates were best for the mail (26%) with the worst response rate coming from the Web group (11%). However, a cost-effectiveness analysis revealed that web surveys were 2.68 times more cost effective.

An analysis of response rate and economic costs between mail and web-based surveys among practicing dentists: a randomized trial.

Cigarette smoking contributes to the largest number of preventable deaths with a recent report estimating that nearly 5 million annual deaths worldwide and 400,000 in the United States were attributed to cigarette smoking. Dentists, in particular, are in a unique position to educate their patients about the health effects of tobacco. Tobacco cessation knowledge, behaviors, and compliance of Florida dentists were assessed using survey methodology. The survey was administered to a random sample of 6,000 dentists, which was provided by the Florida Department of Health. The survey inquired about (1) general demographic information, (2) Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist, and Arrange behaviors, (3) barriers to the incorporation of tobacco cessation activities, and (4) willingness to participate in further training. A large majority of dentists (88%) are not familiar with the concept of the Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist, and Arrange behaviors when asked directly. When asked about each individual component of this approach, however, dentists had much higher response rates. Dentists were best at routinely asking (59%), advising (46%), & assessing (32%) their patients about their smoking. However, they were much less helpful when assisting and arranging follow-up (70% stated that they never arrange follow-up). This study discovered that the majority of dentists who counsel patients spend only 1–4 min. Sixty-six percent of the dentists surveyed were willing to receive specific training, with 50% preferring an online course and 42% preferring a continued education course.

Claudia Tammy Succar

Papers

An analysis of response rate and economic costs between mail and web-based surveys among practicing dentists: a randomized trial.

Survey of Tobacco Control Among Florida Dentists