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Telephone reminder calls increased response rates to mailed study consent forms
Shana B Traina1, Catherine H MacLean, Grace S Park
1Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, The David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. straina@mednet.ucla.edu
Background:
This study assessed the impact of follow-up reminder phone calls on response rates to a mailed consent form packet.
Methods:
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis were invited to enroll in a study by signing and returning consent forms by mail. Patients not returning completed study consent forms were called and reminded to return the signed consent forms.
Results:
Among 724 mailed consent form packets, 376 (52%) were returned without further follow-up. Follow-up reminder calls were made to 220 of the 348 patients who did not return signed consent forms. Among subjects contacted by phone, 67 (31% of those called) returned signed consent forms.
Conclusion:
Follow-up reminder phone calls raised the overall consent rate of 52 to 61%, suggesting that they can be an effective technique in increasing response rates.
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