Survey methodology for the uninitiated.

Mailed, self-administered questionnaires are a common data collection method used in family practice research. However, little guidance exists in the medical literature about survey methodology specifically designed for family practitioners. As a result, primary care physicians sometimes struggle with questionnaire design and interpretation. Our goal was to synthesize general survey methodology guidelines (from other disciplines as well as our own) in a manner that would be meaningful to novice family practice researchers.