Jiwa Moyez, Coker Akinoso E Olujimi, Bagley John, Freeman Jenny, Coleman Martyn
Institute of General Practice and Primary Care, University of Sheffield, UK.
Curr Med Res Opin. 2004 Mar;20(3):319-24. doi: 10.1185/030079903125002900.
The validity of opinions expressed in questionnaire surveys diminishes with lower response rates. Recent research suggests that general practitioners (GPs) are more likely to respond to questionnaire surveys if they are motivated to do so because the subject of the survey is perceived as relevant to the practitioner at the time of the survey, and there is an opportunity to respond without encroaching on existing obligations or interests.
To compare the results of a questionnaire survey administered by two routes: a postal survey with reminders and after an educational meeting with no reminders.
A validated questionnaire with 19 questions using a Likert scale seeking views about the ideal contents of a referral letter to colorectal surgeons was administered to GPs attending a monthly educational meeting in one locality in the UK and by post to a different group in a second locality. The response rate and demographic characteristics of the GPs were compared for respondents, non-respondents, attenders and non-attenders to the educational meeting. The mean responses to the questions on the Likert scale were used to produce a schedule to score the contents of referral letters. The schedules produced by the two methods (postal/educational meeting) were used to score 551 referral letters at one district general hospital. Mean scores calculated using the two schedules derived by the postal and educational routes were compared. Cases diagnosed with 'significant organic pathology' as defined in a previous study were identified. The predictive value of the scores in identifying these cases was compared.
88% (138/157) of GPs in the locality attended the educational meeting and were invited to participate in the survey. Non-attenders were more likely to be assistants, locums or part-time practitioners. Overall 71% (98) of the GPs responded to the survey. There were no significant demographic differences between the respondents and non-respondents to the survey. Response rates to the survey conducted by the two routes were similar. Referral letter 'quality' scores derived via the two alternative routes were equally valuable in predicting which patients had significant organic pathology.
Responses to questionnaire surveys are equally valid when administered via an educational meeting or by post. The value of the educational meeting approach was the relative ease of administering the questionnaire and the rapid turn around of replies. However this method may exclude the views of part-time practitioners who were more likely to fail to attend. These practitioners may need to be targeted by alternative routes in questionnaire surveys.
问卷调查中所表达意见的有效性会随着回应率的降低而减弱。近期研究表明，如果全科医生（GPs）因调查主题在调查时被认为与自身相关且有机会在不影响现有职责或利益的情况下做出回应，那么他们更有可能回应问卷调查。
比较通过两种途径进行的问卷调查结果：一种是邮寄问卷调查并附带提醒，另一种是在教育会议后进行且不附带提醒。
向在英国一个地区参加月度教育会议的全科医生以及通过邮寄方式向另一个地区的不同群体发放一份经过验证的问卷，该问卷有19个使用李克特量表的问题，旨在征求关于给结直肠外科医生转诊信理想内容的意见。比较了教育会议的参与者、非参与者、问卷的回应者和非回应者的回应率及人口统计学特征。对李克特量表上问题的平均回答被用于制定一个对转诊信内容进行评分的方案。用两种方法（邮寄/教育会议）制定的方案对一家地区综合医院的551封转诊信进行评分。比较通过邮寄和教育途径得出的两种方案所计算出的平均分数。识别出先前研究中定义的被诊断为“重大器质性病变”的病例。比较评分在识别这些病例方面的预测价值。
该地区88%（138/157）的全科医生参加了教育会议并被邀请参与调查。非参会者更有可能是助理、临时代理医生或兼职医生。总体而言，71%（98名）的全科医生回应了调查。调查的回应者和非回应者之间在人口统计学上没有显著差异。通过两种途径进行的调查回应率相似。通过两种不同途径得出的转诊信“质量”评分在预测哪些患者有重大器质性病变方面同样有价值。
通过教育会议或邮寄方式进行问卷调查时，回应的有效性是相同的。教育会议方式的价值在于问卷发放相对容易且回复周转迅速。然而，这种方法可能会排除兼职医生的意见，因为他们更有可能不参加会议。在问卷调查中可能需要通过其他途径针对这些医生。
