College of Public Health, Kent State University, P.O. Box 5190, Kent, OH 44242-0001, USA.
Cancer Causes Control. 2012 Dec;23(12):2047-52. doi: 10.1007/s10552-012-0082-z. Epub 2012 Oct 18.
Surveys of cancer patients are an important means of collecting data necessary to improve cancer prevention and control. However, health surveys generally are characterized by declining response rates, with incentives often employed to encourage participation. While successful, magnitude of effect is partially dependent upon situational characteristics of respondents, including health status. Given the health challenges experienced by cancer patients, it is unclear to what extent incentives can improve survey participation. In this study, we examine the effectiveness of monetary and non-monetary incentives in improving response to cancer patient surveys.
We reviewed the available experimental literature regarding efforts to improve response rates among cancer patients/survivors via incentives. Relevant studies were identified through searches of the MEDLINE, PubMed, and PsychINFO databases from 1975 to 2012. Seed sources (e.g., Cancer Causes & Control, Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, and BMC Medical Research Methodology) were also referenced extensively in order to establish a comprehensive set of studies.
Although limited, evidence does suggest that token incentives may be less effective for improving survey participation among cancer patients, relative to other population groups. These results are contrary to well-established evidence regarding the efficacy of incentives in improving survey participation generally. Potential reasons why incentives may be less effective in this population are explored.
While more research is necessary, results suggest that survey research strategies targeting cancer patients be purposively designed in a manner that gives consideration to the distress associated with the condition, including selection of alternative strategies to improve response.
癌症患者调查是收集必要数据以改善癌症预防和控制的重要手段。然而，健康调查通常具有下降的回应率，往往采用激励措施来鼓励参与。虽然成功了，但效果的大小部分取决于受访者的情境特征，包括健康状况。鉴于癌症患者所面临的健康挑战，尚不清楚激励措施在多大程度上可以提高调查参与度。在这项研究中，我们研究了金钱和非金钱激励措施在提高癌症患者调查回应率方面的有效性。
我们通过对 MEDLINE、PubMed 和 PsychINFO 数据库从 1975 年到 2012 年的搜索，回顾了关于通过激励措施提高癌症患者/幸存者回应率的现有实验文献。还广泛参考了种子资源（例如，癌症原因与控制、癌症流行病学、生物标志物与预防和 BMC 医学研究方法学），以建立一套全面的研究。
尽管证据有限，但确实表明，与其他人群相比，代币激励措施可能对提高癌症患者的调查参与度效果较差。这些结果与激励措施在一般提高调查参与度方面的既定证据相反。探讨了为什么激励措施在这一人群中效果较差的潜在原因。
虽然需要更多的研究，但结果表明，针对癌症患者的调查研究策略应以一种考虑到与该疾病相关的痛苦的方式有目的地设计，包括选择替代策略来提高回应率。
