Feasibility of quality-of-life research on the Internet: a follow-up study.

OBJECTIVE

Assessment of the feasibility of conducting clinical research with patients using electronic mail and the World Wide Web.

DESIGN

We re-contacted 463 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and 154 benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patients who had provided us with e-mail addresses as part of a Web-based study. In an electronic mail message, we informed patients of a web site with a new study and invited them to participate. We then examined the factors associated with patients' participation in the new study.

RESULTS

Completion rates were 28% for UC patients (single mailing) and 48% for BPH patients (up to four mailings in a two-month period). Some patients could not be contacted due to invalid e-mail addresses (23%). Those who completed the new study tended to be older, and less time had elapsed since their participation in the previous study. Furthermore, their health-related quality-of-life had significantly improved since the previous study.

CONCLUSION

It is possible to use direct electronic mail contact to conduct follow-up research with patients. Response rates appear to be related to the number of messages sent, age of the recipients, and time since the initial contact.