BACKGROUND: Recent experiences of survey researchers suggest that physicians are becoming less willing to complete surveys. OBJECTIVE: To compare response rates to a mailed physician survey with a prepaid check incentive of $20 versus $50. RESEARCH DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. SUBJECTS:Five hundred seventy-eight physicians caring for patients with lung or colorectal cancer in northern California. MEASURES: Proportion of physicians responding to the survey. RESULTS: Overall, 60.0% of physicians responded to the survey. The response rate was 52.1% for physicians who received a $20 check versus 67.8% for physicians who received a $50 check (P < 0.001). Similar differences in response rates were seen in strata by physician sex, year graduated from medical school, and survey version (all P < 0.001). More than 42% of physicians who received a $50 check responded to the first mailing, compared with only 30.8% of those who received a $20 check (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Among physicians caring for patients with lung cancer or colorectal cancer in northern California, a $50 check incentive was much more effective than a $20 check incentive at increasing response rates to a mailed survey. As physicians become increasingly burdened with surveys, larger incentives may be necessary to engage potential respondents and thus maximize response rates.
RCT Entities:
BACKGROUND: Recent experiences of survey researchers suggest that physicians are becoming less willing to complete surveys. OBJECTIVE: To compare response rates to a mailed physician survey with a prepaid check incentive of $20 versus $50. RESEARCH DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. SUBJECTS: Five hundred seventy-eight physicians caring for patients with lung or colorectal cancer in northern California. MEASURES: Proportion of physicians responding to the survey. RESULTS: Overall, 60.0% of physicians responded to the survey. The response rate was 52.1% for physicians who received a $20 check versus 67.8% for physicians who received a $50 check (P < 0.001). Similar differences in response rates were seen in strata by physician sex, year graduated from medical school, and survey version (all P < 0.001). More than 42% of physicians who received a $50 check responded to the first mailing, compared with only 30.8% of those who received a $20 check (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Among physicians caring for patients with lung cancer or colorectal cancer in northern California, a $50 check incentive was much more effective than a $20 check incentive at increasing response rates to a mailed survey. As physicians become increasingly burdened with surveys, larger incentives may be necessary to engage potential respondents and thus maximize response rates.
Authors: Scott D Halpern; Rachel Kohn; Aaron Dornbrand-Lo; Thomas Metkus; David A Asch; Kevin G Volpp Journal: Health Serv Res Date: 2011-04-14 Impact factor: 3.402
Authors: Ellen Funkhouser; Kavya Vellala; Camille Baltuck; Rita Cacciato; Emily Durand; Deborah McEdward; Ellen Sowell; Sarah E Theisen; Gregg H Gilbert Journal: Eval Health Prof Date: 2016-01-10 Impact factor: 2.651
Authors: Jennifer Dykema; John Stevenson; Brendan Day; Sherrill L Sellers; Vence L Bonham Journal: Eval Health Prof Date: 2011-05-24 Impact factor: 2.651
Authors: Katherine M James; Jeanette Y Ziegenfuss; Jon C Tilburt; Ann M Harris; Timothy J Beebe Journal: Health Serv Res Date: 2010-09-28 Impact factor: 3.402
Authors: Sarah E Pajka; Mohammad Adrian Hasdianda; Naomi George; Rebecca Sudore; Mara A Schonberg; Edward Bernstein; James A Tulsky; Susan D Block; Kei Ouchi Journal: J Palliat Med Date: 2020-06-01 Impact factor: 2.947
Authors: Philip James Edwards; Ian Roberts; Mike J Clarke; Carolyn Diguiseppi; Reinhard Wentz; Irene Kwan; Rachel Cooper; Lambert M Felix; Sarah Pratap Journal: Cochrane Database Syst Rev Date: 2009-07-08