Web-Based Patient Experience Surveys to Enhance Response Rates

2017 ◽  
Vol 107 (6) ◽  
pp. 516-521
Author(s):  
Jonathan Labovitz ◽  
Neil Patel ◽  
Israel Santander

Background: Patient experience is a critical component of continuous quality improvement and value-based health-care delivery. This study aimed to identify a simple, cost-effective means of administering a validated patient experience survey in ambulatory-care settings. Methods: Patients were randomly assigned to groups to complete the validated Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) clinician and group patient satisfaction survey using a Web-based platform. The response rate was assessed for in-clinic and e-mail distribution and was compared with the historical response rates. Patients were able to change groups after randomization to assess effect on response rate and potential bias. The cost of survey administration was compared. Results: Of 132 participants, 87 completed surveys (65.9%), with no significant differences among distribution methods. Twenty-three participants self-selected the in-clinic survey after being randomized to the e-mail cohort. Survey responses were statistically significantly different in only three of 34 questions. Web-based survey administration costs two to four times less than standard mail, phone, and mixed-modal survey administration. Conclusions: We recommend that ambulatory clinics use Web-based technology to administer CAHPS clinician and group surveys, using both e-mail and in-clinic distribution to enhance the response rate.

2002 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 230-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aubrey Kent ◽  
Brian Turner

This study determined whether, in a population of intercollegiate head coaches, prenotification had a significant influence on the return rate of mailed questionnaires. Acknowledging the growing use of e-mail and the Internet for survey distribution, the current study evaluated the effectiveness of e-mail as a prenotification technique, Response rates of Intercollegiate Head Coaches to mailed questionnaires from two separate samples were analyzed. Comparisons were made based upon the categorization of coaches into groups of prenotification by e-mail, formal letter, and a non-prenotified control group. Results indicated that prenotification of the survey recipients significantly increased response rates, with the group receiving e-mail prenotification having the highest response rate among the three groups. In addition to being cost effective for researchers, e-mail prenotification was an effective way to increase both the number and variety of contacts with survey recipients.


2010 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolyn R Ahlers-Schmidt ◽  
Amy Chesser ◽  
Traci Hart ◽  
Jordan Jones ◽  
Katherine S Williams ◽  
...  

Background. It is important to minimize time and cost of physician surveys while still achieving a reasonable response rate. Mixed-mode survey administration appears to improve response rates and decrease bias. A literature review revealed physician response rates to mixed-mode surveys averaged about 68%. However, no identified studies used the combination of e-mail, fax, and telephone. The purpose of this study was to evaluate physician response rates based on surveys first administered by e-mail, then fax, then telephone. Methods. Surveys initially were administered by e-mail to 149 physicians utilizing SurveyMonkey©. Two follow-up reminder e-mails were sent to non-respondents at two-week intervals. Surveys then were faxed to physicians who had not responded. A follow-up fax was sent to non-respondents one week later. Finally, phone interviews were attempted with physicians who had not responded by e-mail or fax; each physician was called at least twice. Results. Of the 149 eligible physicians, 102 completed the survey for a response rate of 68.5%. Of those who responded, 49 (48%) responded by e-mail, 25 (24.5%) by fax, and 28 (27.5%) by phone. Mode of response did not differ by gender, specialization, or years in practice. In addition, mode of response was not related to the primary study question, physician willingness to use text messaging for immunization reminders. Conclusions. This mix of survey methodologies appeared to be a feasible combination for achieving physician responses and may be more cost effective than other mixed methods.


2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 272-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nuno Basílio ◽  
Sara Cardoso ◽  
José Mendes Nunes ◽  
Liliana Laranjo ◽  
Maria da Luz Antunes ◽  
...  

Summary Introduction: Surveys are a useful tool in primary care. However, low response rates can introduce selection bias, impairing both external and internal validity. The aim of this study was to assess the average response rate in surveys with Portuguese general practitioners (GPs). Method: We searched the Medline, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, PsychInfo, SciELO, IndexRMP, RCAAP, Revista Portuguesa de Medicina Geral e Familiar, Acta Médica Portuguesa and the proceedings of conferences of general practice from incepton to December 2016. We included all postal, e-mail, telephone and personal surveys to primary care physicians without language restrictions. We did not assess risk of bias of included studies, since the main outcome was survey response rate. We performed planned subgroup analyses of the use of monetary incentives, the use of non-monetary incentives, survey delivery modes and prior contact with participants. Results: A total of 1,094 papers were identified and 37 studies were included in this review. The response rate in surveys done to Portuguese GPs was 56% (95CI 47-64%). There was substantial heterogeneity among included studies (I2=99%), but subgroup analysis did not explain this heterogeneity. Conclusion: Consistent with other published studies, the average response rate in surveys done with Portuguese GPs was 56%, with substantial variation among studies. Use of monetary incentives, one of the most effective strategies to increase response rates, was not present in any of the included studies.


Author(s):  
Cristine D. Delnevo ◽  
Binu Singh

Abstract Background: Achieving a high response rate for physicians has been challenging and with response rates declining in recent years, innovative methods are needed to increase rates. An emerging concept in survey methodology has been web-push survey delivery. In this delivery method, contact is made by mail to request a response by web. This study explored the feasibility of a web-push survey on a national sample of physicians. Methods: 1000 physicians across six specialties were randomly assigned to a mail only or web-push survey delivery. Each mode consisted of four contacts including an initial mailing, reminder postcard, and two additional follow-ups. Response rates were calculated using AAPOR’s response rate 3 calculation. Data collection occurred between Febuary – April 2018 and analyzed March 2019. Results: Overall reponse rates for the mail only vs. web-push survey delivery were comparable (51.2% vs. 52.8%). Higher response rates across all demographics were seen in the web-push delivery with the exception of pulmonary/critical care and physicians over the age of 65. The web-push survey yielded a greater response after the first mailing requiring fewer follow-up contacts resulting in a more cost-effective delivery. Conclusions: A web-push mail survey is effective in achieveing a comparable response rate to traditional mail only delivery for physicians. The web-push survey was more efficient in terms of cost and in receiving responses in a more timely manner. Future research should explore the efficiency of a web-push survey delivery across various health care provider populations.


10.28945/3557 ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 001-016
Author(s):  
Grandon Gill ◽  
Joni Jones

Jeffrey Stiles pondered these seemingly straightforward questions. As IT Director of Jagged Peak, Inc., a developer of e-commerce solutions located in the Tampa Bay region of Florida, it would be his responsibility to oversee the implementation of security measures that went beyond the existing user name and password currently required for each user. Recent events suggested that a move towards increased security might be inevitable. In just the past year, highly publicized security failures at the U.S. Department of Defense, major healthcare providers and large companies, such as Sony and JP Morgan Chase, had made executives acutely aware of the adverse consequences of IT system vulnerabilities. In fact, a study of business risk managers conducted in 2014 found that 69% of all businesses had experienced some level of hacking in the previous year. The nature of Jagged Peak’s business made the security of its systems a particular concern. The company, which had grown rapidly over the years, reporting over $61 million in revenue in 2014, provided its customers with software that supported web-based ordering, fulfillment and logistics activities, built around a philosophy of “buy anywhere, fulfill anywhere, return anywhere”. To support these activities, the company’s Edge platform needed to handle a variety of payment types, including gift cards (a recent target of hackers), as well as sensitive personal identifying information (PII). Compounding the security challenge: each customer ran its own instance of the Edge platform, and managed its own users. When only a single customer was being considered, the addition of further layers of security to authenticate uses was an eminently solvable problem. A variety of alternative approaches existed, including the use of various biometrics, key fobs that provided codes the user could enter, personalized security questions, and many others. The problem was that where multiple customers were involved, it was much more difficult to form a consensus. One customer might object to biometrics because it users lacked the necessary hardware. Another might object to security keys as being too costly, easily stolen or lost. Personalized questions might be considered too failure-prone by some customers. Furthermore, it was not clear that adding additional layers of authentication would necessarily be the most cost-effective way to reduce vulnerability. Other approaches, such as user training might provide greater value. Even if Stiles decided to proceed with additional authentication, questions remained. Mandatory or a free/added-cost option? Developed in house or by a third party? Used for internal systems only, customer platforms only, or both? Implementation could not begin until these broad questions were answered.


2008 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 94-103
Author(s):  
Leslie A. McCallister ◽  
Bobette Otto

What techniques effectively and consistently impact response rates to a mail survey? No clear answer to this question exists, largely because variability in response rates occurs depending on the population of interest, questionnaire type, and procedures used by researchers. This article examines the impact of e-mail and postcard prenotification on response rates to a mail survey by using a population of university full-time faculty and staff. Comparisons were made among respondents who received a postcard prenotification, those who received an e-mail prenotification, and those who received no prenotification prior to the initial mailing of a questionnaire. Data show that e-mail prenotification had the largest impact on response rate, while postcard prenotification had the least impact. In addition, the use of e-mail prenotification reduced overall project costs (both time and money). We suggest that the uses and applicability of e-mail prenotification be further explored to examine both its initial and overall impact on response rate in populations utilizing an electronic environment.


Field Methods ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 351-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taylor Lewis ◽  
Karl Hess

The Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey is an annual survey of over 800,000 permanently employed civilian personnel from 87 agencies. First administered in 2002, the web-based survey measures a broad range of employee perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors, serving as a valuable tool for human resources managers to determine which aspects of an organization are working well and which may require intervention. The data collection protocol begins by sending all sampled individuals an initial invitation to participate. Thereafter, nonrespondents are sent weekly reminder e-mails. These notifications are typically sent on Tuesday mornings. In this article, we present results from an experiment investigating two alternative protocols varying when survey notification and reminder e-mails are sent. Interestingly, the stable Tuesday morning strategy produced a significantly higher response rate than the two alternatives, and we analyze timestamp information from one of the alternatives to help provide insight as to why.


2011 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nafiseh Dastmalchi ◽  
Zeinab Kazemi ◽  
Siroos Hashemi ◽  
Ove A Peters ◽  
Hamid Jafarzadeh

ABSTRACT Aim To gather data from Diplomates of the American Board of Endodontics regarding treatment of dilacerated canals. Materials and methods A questionnaire addressing definition, endodontic treatment procedures and prognosis was constructed and distributed via e-mail to 708 Diplomates of the American Board of Endodontics. Data from 150 respondents, a 21% response rate, were collected by using a Web-based interface. For statistical analysis, Chi-square tests were used. Results More than 25% of respondents believed that a dilacerated root should have a curvature > 40°. One-visit treatment is the best therapeutic approach and transportation is the most likely complication in preparation of these canals. A crown-down technique, watch-winding motion and a master apical file # 25 are the best choices for preparation of these canals. Any warm obturation technique is preferred over lateral compaction by most respondents. Conclusion A crown-down technique for root canal preparation and a thermoplastic obturation technique are recommended for canals whose curvature is more than 40°. The prognosis of the treatment of these canals is judged not lower than normal canals. Clinical significance Crown-down technique and thermoplastic obturation are recommended for dilacerated canals. How to cite this article Dastmalchi N, Kazemi Z, Hashemi S Peters OA, Jafarzadeh H. Definition and Endodontic Treatment of Dilacerated Canals: A Survey of Diplomates of the American Board of Endodontics. J Contemp Dent Pract 2011;12(1):8-13.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryuhei So ◽  
Kiyomi Shinohara ◽  
Takuya Aoki ◽  
Yasushi Tsujimoto ◽  
Aya M Suganuma ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Low participation rates are one of the most serious disadvantages of Web-based studies. It is necessary to develop effective strategies to improve participation rates to obtain sufficient data. OBJECTIVE The objective of this trial was to investigate the effect of emphasizing the incentive in the subject line of the invitation email and the day of the week of sending the invitation email on the participation rate in a Web-based trial. METHODS We conducted a 2×2 factorial design randomized controlled trial. We contacted 2000 primary care physicians from members of the Japan Primary Care Association in January 2017 and randomly allocated them to 1 of 4 combinations of 2 subject lines (presence or absence of an emphasis on a lottery for an Amazon gift card worth 3000 yen or approximately US $30) and 2 delivery days (sending the invitation email on Tuesday or Friday). The primary outcome was the response rate defined as the number of participants answering the first page of the questionnaire divided by the number of invitation emails delivered. All outcomes were collected between January 17, 2017, and February 8, 2017. RESULTS We analyzed data from 1943 out of 2000 participants after excluding those whose email addresses were invalid. The overall response rate was 6.3% (123/1943). There was no significant difference in the response rates between the 2 groups regarding incentive in the subject line: the risk ratio was 1.12 (95% CI 0.80 to 1.58) and the risk difference was 0.7% (95% CI –1.5% to 2.9%). Similarly, there was no significant difference in the response rates between the 2 groups regarding sending the email on Tuesday or Friday: the risk ratio was 0.98 (95% CI 0.70 to 1.38) and the risk difference was –0.1% (95% CI –2.3% to 2.1%). CONCLUSIONS Neither emphasizing the incentive in the subject line of the invitation email nor varying the day of the week the invitation email was sent led to a meaningful increase in response rates in a Web-based trial with primary care physicians. CLINICALTRIAL University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry UMIN000025317; https://upload.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr_e/ctr_view.cgi?recptno=R000029121 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation. org/6wOo1jl9t)


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 1086-1093
Author(s):  
Melody K Schiaffino ◽  
Yukari Suzuki ◽  
Tarryn Ho ◽  
Tracy L Finlayson ◽  
Jeffrey S Harman

Background: Patient experience is an important measure of hospital quality and performance. Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act, patient experiences with their care encounters are embedded into the framework of payment incentives. However, drivers of patient experience in the context of the supportive, nonclinical, services that relate to patient care have not been as well understood. Aims: To assess the role of organizational factors on patient experience. Methods: This cross-sectional analysis integrates hospital patient-experience scores from Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems, and Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Service data from 2013 to 2015 (N = 3392). Based on hospitals with “top-box” responses, the aggregate proportion of hospital patients responding “always” on a Likert scale represented a top-box hospital. Domains were split at the mean for analysis (above average = 1). Multivariable logistic regression models for each domain were analyzed against hospital factors and services, including offering a patient education center, patient-enabling services, and language services. Results: Most hospitals reported a full-time hospitalist (64.4%) and a patient education center (60.4%), while fewer provided enabling/support services (33.7%). In multivariable models, small and medium hospitals performed better compared to the largest hospitals (300+ beds; P < .0001). Structurally, medium and small hospitals reported significantly greater odds of top-box patient-experience versus large hospitals. Across all domains, only hospitals with patient education centers returned better performance (adjusted odds ratio: 1.27-1.64; P = .0002-.0166). Discussion/Conclusion: Patient education centers provide relevant information at the point of service and may improve overall patient experience of care. Given the growing reliance on accountable care delivery models, opportunities to partner with community health education partners may be profitable.


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