Getting a Valid Survey Response From 662 Plastic Surgeons in the 21st Century

• Published in: Annals of plastic surgery Vol. 76; no. 1; pp. 3 - 5
• Main Authors: Reinisch, John F, Yu, Daniel C, Li, Wai-Yee
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Copyright Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved 01-01-2016
• Subjects: Cost-Benefit Analysis; Electronic Mail - economics; Electronic Mail - statistics & numerical data; Female; Health Care Surveys - methods; History, 21st Century; Humans; Male; Prospective Studies; Quality Control; Surgeons - statistics & numerical data; Surgery, Plastic - standards; Surgery, Plastic - trends; Surveys and Questionnaires; United States; United States
• ISSN: 0148-7043; 1536-3708
• DOI: 10.1097/SAP.0000000000000546

INTRODUCTIONWeb-based surveys save time and money. As electronic questionnaires have increased in popularity, telephone and mailed surveys have declined. With any survey, a response rate of 75% or greater is critical for the validity of any study. We wanted to determine which survey method achieved the highest response among academic plastic surgeons.
METHODSAll American Association of Plastic Surgeons members were surveyed regarding authorship issues. They were randomly assigned to receive the questionnaire through 1 of 4 methods(A) emailed with a link to an online survey; (B) regular mail; (C) regular mail + $1 bill, and (D) regular mail + $5 bill. Two weeks after the initial mailing, the number of responses was collected, and nonresponders were contacted to remind them to participate. The study was closed after 10 weeks. Survey costs were calculated based on the actual cost of sending the initial survey, including stationary, printing, postage (groups B–D), labor, and cost of any financial incentives. Cost of reminders to nonresponders was calculated at $5 per reminder, giving a total survey cost.
RESULTSOf 662 surveys sent, 54 were returned because of incorrect address/email, retirement, or death. Four hundred seventeen of the remaining 608 surveys were returned and analyzed. The response rate was lowest in the online group and highest in those mailed with a monetary incentive.
CONCLUSIONSDespite the convenience and low initial cost of web-based surveys, this generated the lowest response. We obtained statistically significant response rates (79% and 84%) only by using postal mail with monetary incentives and reminders. The inclusion of a $1 bill represented the greatest value and cost-effective survey method, based on cost per response