Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery, Leiden University Medical Center, P.O. Box 9600, 2300 RC, Leiden, Zuid-Holland, The Netherlands.
Medical Decision Making, Department of Biomedical Data Sciences, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Zuid-Holland, The Netherlands.
BMC Med Res Methodol. 2021 Oct 22;21(1):220. doi: 10.1186/s12874-021-01419-2.
Patient Reported Outcomes (PROs) are subjective outcomes of disease and/or treatment in clinical research. For effective evaluations of PROs, high response rates are crucial. This study assessed the impact of the delivery method on the patients' response rate.
A cohort of patients with a unilateral vestibular schwannoma (a condition with substantial impact on quality of life, requiring prolonged follow-up) was assigned to three delivery methods: email, regular mail, and hybrid. Patients were matched for age and time since the last visit to the outpatient clinic. The primary outcome was the response rate, determinants other than delivery mode were age, education and time since the last consultation. In addition, the effect of a second reminder by telephone was evaluated.
In total 602 patients participated in this study. The response rates for delivery by email, hybrid, and mail were 45, 58 and 60%, respectively. The response rates increased after a reminder by telephone to 62, 67 and 64%, respectively. A lower response rate was associated with lower level of education and longer time interval since last outpatient clinic visit.
The response rate for PRO varies by delivery method. PRO surveys by regular mail yield the highest response rate, followed by hybrid and email delivery methods. Hybrid delivery combines good response rates with the ease of digitally returned questionnaires.
患者报告的结局（PROs）是临床研究中疾病和/或治疗的主观结局。为了对 PRO 进行有效的评估，高应答率至关重要。本研究评估了传递方式对患者应答率的影响。
将一组单侧前庭神经鞘瘤患者（一种对生活质量有重大影响、需要长期随访的疾病）分为三种传递方式：电子邮件、普通邮件和混合方式。患者按年龄和上次门诊就诊后时间进行匹配。主要结局是应答率，除传递方式外，年龄、教育程度和上次就诊后时间也是决定因素。此外，还评估了电话二次提醒的效果。
共有 602 名患者参与了这项研究。电子邮件、混合和邮件传递方式的应答率分别为 45%、58%和 60%。电话提醒后，应答率分别提高到 62%、67%和 64%。较低的应答率与较低的教育水平和上次门诊就诊后时间间隔较长有关。
PRO 的应答率因传递方式而异。普通邮件的 PRO 调查产生的应答率最高，其次是混合和电子邮件传递方式。混合传递方式结合了数字返回问卷的便利性和较高的应答率。
