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Related Experiment Videos

Accurate sampling in general practice waiting room surveys: methodological issues.

Marie Pirotta1, Jane Gunn, Deidre Harrison

  • 1Department of General Practice, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Carlton. mpirotta@unimelb.edu.au

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health
|June 11, 2002
PubMed
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This pilot study found that using reception staff for waiting room surveys in general practice can miss up to 18% of eligible women. Accurate patient capture depends on practice administration and staff motivation for valid general practice research.

Area of Science:

  • General Practice Research
  • Health Services Research
  • Survey Methodology

Background:

  • Waiting room surveys are a common method for data collection in general practice.
  • Training reception staff to administer surveys is a potential strategy to improve data acquisition.
  • The accuracy of this method depends on effective implementation and practice systems.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the validity of using a single research assistant to train and support reception staff in collecting waiting room data.
  • To evaluate the feasibility of reception staff administering general practice surveys.

Main Methods:

  • A pilot study involving five general practices.
  • Reception staff were trained by one research assistant to survey eligible women over two weeks.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Practices were audited using appointment books and billing records to determine sample denominators.

    • Main Results:

    • Reception staff missed between 0% and 18% of eligible patients, based on appointment book audits.
    • Billing record audits at three clinics showed potential inaccuracies of up to 50%.
    • Accurate patient capture is contingent upon robust administrative systems and staff engagement.

    Conclusions:

    • Researchers must account for missed eligible participants when using waiting room surveys in general practice.
    • While valid sampling is achievable in some practices, it may impact the generalizability of findings.
    • The study highlights the importance of administrative support and staff motivation for successful survey implementation.